5 steps to make New Mexico the green energy capital of the US

The Albuquerque Regional Financial Alliance (AREA) has crafted a formidable plan for the financial development of Albuquerque and New Mexico.

AREA’s imaginative and prescient for renewable power is: N.M. will develop into the inexperienced power capital of america and the mannequin for different markets sooner or later. That is in step with N.M.’s Financial Growth Division (EDD) strategic plan, which lists sustainable and inexperienced power and sustainable agriculture as main arms of the state’s future economic system.

Each AREA and EDD acknowledge making the state the inexperienced power capital provides New Mexico a aggressive benefit in recruiting and rising companies. A strawman pathway to develop into the inexperienced power capital of the U.S. follows:

1. New Mexico ought to put money into making our state the take a look at laboratory for U.S.-built inexperienced power know-how. Doing this can problem China’s present dominance in manufacturing inexperienced power know-how by making a U.S. marketplace for U.S. corporations within the inexperienced power provide chain. Home market creation will stimulate private-sector innovation and funding in New Mexico and encourage further federal local weather spending right here. It was federal market creation relatively than its analysis that kicked off the semiconductor, web and satellite tv for pc industries.

2. If New Mexico follows U.S. environmental coverage and transitions to carbon neutrality on the similar price as different states and turns into carbon impartial in 2050, it won’t give us the aggressive benefit it must earn the title: U.S. Inexperienced Vitality Capital. We should goal 2035 for almost all of New Mexico to develop into carbon impartial.

3. Russia’s saber-rattling has highlighted the necessity for power safety at important protection institutions. The federal authorities ought to assemble microgrids operated by N.M. utilities at protection services all through New Mexico. These microgrids could be powered by on-facility-located electrical energy era utilizing modular nuclear energy, solar energy, geothermal, wind energy and power storage. Value/profit evaluation of those choices should embody externalities, e.g. good thing about treasured metals like lithium recovered from geothermal waste. Waste warmth could be utilized the place sensible. Transportation at these services would develop into carbon impartial by offering free charging for workers’ electrical automobiles bought by the staff at fleet charges. Every of those microgrids would have a single interface to the state’s upgraded sensible grid, with that interface protected by superior cybersecurity.

4. In return for federal assist, New Mexico would allow the development of a spent nuclear gasoline rod storage facility funded by federal or non-public sources. It will reciprocate federal efforts by making main state services carbon impartial by 2035 together with worker transportation.

5. The N.M. capital metropolis of Santa Fe, together with transportation, ought to be made totally carbon impartial by 2035. Santa Fe’s publicity to vacationers from around the globe would function a world beacon for carbon neutrality and additional develop tourism all through New Mexico.

To deal with the difficulty of New Mexico turning into the U.S. Inexperienced Vitality Capital, our governor ought to appoint a Inexperienced Vitality Capital Activity Drive that features state power consultants, the oil and pure fuel sectors, N.M. utilities, the state’s congressional delegation, the U.S. Division of Vitality, members of the state Legislature and the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

James Gover earned a grasp’s diploma in electrical engineering and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the College of New Mexico and spent 35 years with Sandia Labs, together with 5 years engaged on power analysis and improvement and 10 years engaged on nationwide coverage. He additionally spent 13 years at Kettering College on analysis and instructing of electrical automobile know-how.