Solarized Santa Fe

In a step to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Santa Fe County began construction on the solar photovoltaic system at its buildings in Eldorado, one of the West's most solarized communities.

By the end of April, the project should be producing solar energy, sooner than the county's end date of May 30.

A photovoltaic system uses multiple solar panels connected to each other, called a solar array, to produce energy. The Eldorado site will have 192 solar panels, each with a 370-watt capacity.

The county's complex at 16 Avenida Torreon includes the Ken and Patty Adam Senior Center and the Max Coll Community Center.

The solar project is the 15th county government edifice to get solar installations, and it won't be the last. The Agua Fria and Rancho Viejo fire stations and the exhibition hall at Santa Fe County Fairgrounds are next, according to county Sustainability Manager Claudia Borchert.

"As funding is available, we hope to continue installing solar systems in all county buildings where it makes sense and to incorporate photovoltaics into new buildings," Borchert tells SFR via email. She is also the project manager.

According to the county, the system will save $16,000 in electricity costs and the project has a 10-year return-on-investment with an expected savings of $250,000 after 25 years, offsetting 85% of the building's electricity use. The solar array will also reduce 90 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to Borchert, about the same as planting 3,403 trees per year or removing 19 cars from the road for 12 months.

The project budget is $216,575 for a 71-kilowatt-hours ground-mounted photovoltaic system. Sol Luna Solar is the contractor.

While the county paid for this particular project at the complex, money for future projects will come from state capital outlay funds. Past solar projects at Santa Fe fire stations earned funding from the state while others had their bill picked up by the county, depending on how much money the county got from the Legislature.

The county received $505,000 from the state in 2019 but only $325,000 in 2020 to solarize county facilities. Borchert doesn't know why the funding decreased this year.

"We didn't receive any money [from the state] in 2017 or 2018," Borchert tells SFR. "We did have another influx of capital outlay money… We certainly use up the money the state gives us with projects and we have a similar process with which we request money for projects in the county. We request money and as it comes in, we then do what we can with it."

Borchert says Santa Feans who use the facility are "supportive" and "understand the need for everyone to do their part in reducing our collective carbon footprint."

The county also conducted an energy audit on the complex and will be "looking at ways to increase the building's efficiency," Borchert tells SFR.

According to the county's 2019 Renewable Energy Progress Report, the 14 photovoltaic renewable energy installations that currently operate have almost 1.5 megawatts of production capability.

Since installations began in 2011, the systems have produced 12.6 million kWh of renewable clean electricity and saved Santa Fe County taxpayers over $1.5 million in electricity over the last nine years, according to the report.

The county also plans to add native trees and plants outside some of the buildings.

"As the county's demand for energy continues to rise, solar power is one of the most abundant resources providing clean, cost effective energy without the toxic fumes and pollution," District 5 County Commissioner Ed Moreno writes in a statement. The installation will be marked with an event to plant trees and other native drought-tolerant plants around the solar array project in May.

The county plans to use the same planting strategy in each commission district, including the Arroyo Hondo Fire Station, the Pojoaque Valley Recreation Complex, the Santa Fe River San Isidro crossing and the Edgewood Senior Center over the next year.

Statewide, solar was a major point of focus for the 2020 legislative session. Senate Bill 29, signed into law March 3, reinstates a solar tax credit of no more than $6,000 or 10% of the costs of the solar panels themselves, as well as the costs of installation.

While the new law does not have a direct connection with the county's solar projects, it will now play a more significant role with another part of the county sustainability department's work, which is to help home and business owners solarize their properties.

"We are a technical assistance office to provide unbiased information to the community in how they can solarize their own home or business," Borchert tells SFR via email. "The tax credit gives people even more incentive to solarize this year."