PNM Explains a Few Facts About Renewables

NewsNM note - We received this from PNM recently - There could be a lot more solar and other forms of renewable energy in your future. What would happen if we went 100 percent solar right away?

We are committed to meeting the requirements of the New Mexico Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires investor-owned utilities to have 15 percent renewable energy generation by 2015 and 20 percent by 2020. In the past two years we have installed 22 megawatts of solar energy and we now have enough solar and wind energy to power more than 80,000 homes. We've also provided energy efficiency programs to help our customers save 192 gigawatt hours of energy. While it might be nice to consider replacing coal-generated electricity with wind and solar immediately, unfortunately it’s not technically or financially possible, with today’s technology.

First, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Second, electricity is used the moment it is produced – there are no large storage facilities. But PNM did kick off an innovative battery storage project south of Albuquerque last year to help overcome that hurdle. See the associated article in this email.

No energy provider in the world offers 100 percent renewable energy. The Renewable Portfolio Standard says California has a long-term goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020. See the state-by-state goals. We estimate that if we replace coal-fired electricity generation with renewable energy, it would take 18,000 acres of solar panels and cost $4 billion. Plus, that only gets you enough energy an average of 40 percent of the time. We intend to continue taking advantage of the renewable energy resources that New Mexico is blessed with. In April, we proposed adding 20 additional megawatts of solar energy in 2013, 10 megawatts of geothermal energy, and other renewable energy.

PNM Explains a Few Facts About Renewables