The project began as a lunch conversation in the fall of 2000. Resource wars, global warming and energy costs were emerging (and reemerging) as pressing issues. The question became clear: What could McEvoy Ranch do to make a difference? We were already committed to a green agricultural endeavor and had certified the ranch and its products as organic in 1999. The idea of producing our own energy from renewable sources was a logical extension of our philosophy. Wind was the preferred alternative from the beginning: A look at the mature California bay laurels on our ridge tops—and even recently planted olives—revealed significant lagging due to steady wind impact.
The windmill will produce enough electricity to offset what we’d normally buy from PG&E, which, in turn, means it’s offsetting the emissions associated with PG&E’s production of that power. Though PG&E produces “cleaner” electricity than most other large electrical utilities in California, about two-thirds of its electrical energy still comes from a mixture of natural gas, nuclear and coal. With our windmill, we’ll reduce our CO2 emissions by more than 80 tons per year and produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42 homes.
Reactions to the windmill have been largely positive. A few of our neighbors have remained opposed for aesthetic reasons, but others have been outspoken about the windmill’s beauty and appropriateness of place. Many have expressed their hope that this will be the first of several such installations in Marin County, and that it will represent the turning of the tide with respect to Marin County keeping its stated commitment to green practices and economic sustainability.
Because the windmill is smaller than originally envisioned, we were unable to convert our equipment that runs on propane gas, including water heaters, to electricity. This left us with a significant piece of our carbon footprint still intact. In response, we’ve now designed and are moving forward with solar thermal (hot water) systems to offset the propane used to heat the ranch’s water. Five separate systems are envisioned, and three have already been installed. Together with the windmill, our solar thermal system will let us achieve most of our goals.
The theoretical possibility of a self-sustaining olive oil production system has driven agricultural management decisions at McEvoy Ranch since its early years. The role of agriculture in both contributing to and potentially reversing global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) only serves to underscore the importance of designing and managing our farming systems to be net carbon sinks (McEvoy’s soils serve as sinks for atmospheric CO2 by sequestering GHGs as soil organic carbon).
Even as we seek new ways to fix additional atmospheric CO2 through improved land management practices, we recognize we must also reduce our carbon emissions. Increasing our soil’s organic matter content, using the wind to generate enough electricity onsite to meet our farming and processing needs, and using solar heated water are each a critical part of how we’ve chosen to address the global crisis while contributing to the long-term viability of the ranch as both an agricultural and economic endeavor.
Farms throughout California face increasing costs at every level. Energy is a significant cost for most agricultural producers. Dependence on centralized energy generation facilities leaves farmers vulnerable to rising energy costs and supply failures. Renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind, offer price stability and supply security. They offer a way for farms to engage directly and positively with global change issues that threaten to undermine agricultural production. Small, on-farm wind projects such as ours offer a means of efficiently generating electricity in a highly distributed fashion, at the point of use, increasing the overall efficiency and capacity of the grid.
Energy costs at McEvoy Ranch are significant and increasing over time. Overall, this project is expected to pay for itself over the next 12 years, with the life of the windmill estimated to be at least 25 years. With climate instability now recognized as the greatest threat to agricultural production in California, it’s imperative that agriculture do all it can to mitigate the conditions creating that threat. At McEvoy Ranch, we’ve committed ourselves to bringing our production practices in line with the ecological challenges of our place and time. With our clientele looking to us to define the gold standard for extra virgin olive oil production in California, we can do nothing less.
