Public, private clean-energy programs on the rise in Albuquerque
By practicing what it preaches when it comes to clean energy, Albuquerque has become a national leader, both in terms of local usage and related business recruitment.
The city has been honored by Siemens and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its sustainability efforts, led by AlbuquerqueGreen, a comprehensive road map for the city’s energy conservation, clean energy production and conservation efforts.
“Albuquerque is setting the pace in this field,” says Pat Vincent-Collawn, President and CEO of PNM Resources and Chairman of the Board of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. “Our Chamber, for instance, is creating an Energy Planning Committee to help develop these opportunities, and we foresee lots of growth in the sector.”
All this means Albuquerque has become the place to visit for municipal leaders looking to beef up their own clean-energy efforts. When here they learn about everything from an agency ban on purchasing single-serving bottled water to the $3.1 million classroom building at Barcelona Elementary School. With everything from sensor-controlled lights and special planters to make plants more self-sufficient, the building is the first of many city structures that aim to achieve gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program.
The private sector also is on board. Developer Paul Allen Homes is implementing energy-saving features that allow purchasers to capitalize on state and federal tax incentives, while growth is happening in every direction at Emcore Corp., a provider of compound semiconductor-based components and systems for the fiber-optic and solar power markets. From its Albuquerque headquarters, the company continues to expand into markets around the globe and, closer to home, recently inked a 20-year agreement to supply PNM of New Mexico’s distributed-generation solar power program with solar power from its on-site systems.
In short, clean energy is big business in Albuquerque, and it’s only going to get bigger as new technologies emerge that allow for smaller, cheaper installations for wind, solar and other sources, says John Garcia, director of the Albuquerque Economic Development Department.
“We have all of the technologies here – biofuels, solar, wind,” Garcia says. “And then you look at the brain power at the Los Alamos and Sandia national labs, and it’s easy to see how we can leverage what we have to get behind our initiative on an industrial scale.”
And as the city, universities, military installations and other users in the region install rooftop panels for solar and incorporate other saving measures into their facilities, they also provide a local market for Albuquerque’s growing alternative-energy manufacturing sector.
“We are growing the market for companies like Schott Solar by making it easier for people here to buy their products and install,” Garcia says. “That makes us an even better place for them to do business, and it also allows us to expand.”
Over time, as storage and grid technologies are perfected, the city may begin exporting energy, too.
“We are developing a big, audacious goal for this city,” Garcia says. “We can grow in many ways, and because we have these technology and research assets, we are looking at clean energy on a major scope for our future.”
