New Mexico Benefits From Energy Stimulus Funds
by John Weckerle
In a recent article, our friends at Gadabout-Blogalot.com indicated that New Mexico had received no funds from the recent Smart Grid projects approved by the U.S. Department of Energy. We took a look into this, and found that the statement was not entirely correct. According to information obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Recovery and Reinvestment site, which provides information on its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding distribution, projects funded through out-of-state organizations provide benefits to the grid in New Mexico.
Recently announced projects affecting the state include:
- Navajo Electric Utility Association – Install a smart grid network and data management system for all of its 38,000 customers. Integrate the smart grid system as part of the distribution network, which will help quickly identify any system outages. Will also benefit customers in NM and UT.
- El Paso Electric – Install distribution automation to increase the monitoring and control of the distribution system and improve power restoration during emergencies. Will also benefit customers in NM.
- Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) – Install over 250 phasor measurement units across the Western Interconnection and create a communications system to collect data for real-time situational awareness. Improve integrated systems operation across 11 utility organizations and in all or part of 14 western states, enhancing reliability and reducing energy loss. Will also benefit customers in AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, SD, TX and WA.
According to a map provided by the DOE, the projects, taken together, involve nearly all of New Mexico.
The DOE site includes a spreadsheet detailing all the stimulus funds allocated through the department’s various ARRA programs. We resorted the spreadsheet according to state and tallied up New Mexico’s portion, which amounted to $493,450,158. The site lists $31,509,033 as having been spent so far. The total includes $26,855,604 allocated for weatherization assistance, of which $1,042,210 has been spent. That number will increase next month – your editor is taking advantage of the opportunity to replace half of our terrible, old, aluminum-frame windows with more energy-efficient windows (the remaining half will be done, economy permitting, next year). The program provides a rebate of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, over the life of the program. If you are thinking of weatherization, this may be the time to do it. Our new windows are made in the U.S., so as a stimulus, the money is doing what it is intended to do.
The spreadsheet also lists recipients of EE Conservation Block (EECB) Grants. In October alone, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced $32 million in EECB Grant awards. These include a $430,000 grant to the Town of Edgewood for two 50 kilowatt wind turbines for municipal energy generation. Predictably, the final changes to the Town’s zoning ordinance have not yet been posted to the Town web site, so it is not clear just what requirements will have to be met. We hope that the Town conducts its site selection responsibly, with full consideration of potential ecological effects, lest the promising project result in two 59-foot circles of whirling, bird-murdering death.*
*If we’re going to sit here and write about these subjects, we reserve the right to have a little fun with the phrasing once in a while. That does not mean that we are not serious about the potential ecological consequences.