PNM Goes Solar

Posted by Jim Spence on Thursday, August 18, 2011
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Deming Headlight - Aug. 18--Luna County's largest photovoltaic solar array and latest alternative energy project officially kicked off Wednesday as Public Service Company of New Mexico hosted various local, state and federal officials. The 50-acre, 5-megawatt facility is located south of town off Highway 11 on Coyote Road. The 78,000 solar panels comprising the Deming Solar Energy Center are capable of producing enough energy to supply about 1,600 average New Mexico homes. The solar farm is the third of five solar facilities PNM is constructing across the state. Facilities in Albuquerque and Los Lunas have been online since spring and two more facilities in Alamogordo and Las Vegas, NM, are scheduled for completion this fall. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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1 comments:

Paul Lindsey said...

5 MW rated capacity is the equivalent of a 1 MW generator running full-time, because a fixed-angle solar PV system has a capacity factor (cf) of 20%. So this 5 MW PV system will generate approx 8,766 MWh per year. Since PNM owns this system and uses all the power themselves, they are not required to report the actual power generated to the FERC, so we will never know exactly how much power is being generated.

Another misleading statement is the "supply about 1,600 average NM homes". Per PNM's Aug 11 news release about new ratres going into effect, the average residence in their area uses 600 kWh per month, or 7,200 kWh per year. So 8,766 MWh/yr divided by 7,200 kWh/yr = 1271 homes, three-quarters of "1,600 homes".

Even the calculated 1,266 homes is a misleading number, becuase 0 homes are powered by this (or any) PV system at night or during cloudy conditions. All this 5 MW (rated) PV system does is appease some people who think that it is causing a measurable reduction in pollution and CO2. The power from this system will not reduce the output from a single coal-fired power plant anywhere. All it will do is slightly reduce the fuel used by PNM's most expensive power source, such as the two 40 MW simple- (aka open-) gas turbines at the Lordsburg power plant.

P.S. The photo is of a dual-axis tracking solar PV system, which gets about 40% higher power output (28% capacity factor), but requires motors and tracking systems that have to be maintained.

August 18, 2011 at 11:33 AM

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