NM PRC Wants More Green Energy

 

Apr 27 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Jack King Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

The Public Regulation Commission voted Thursday to move toward increasing the amount of energy utilities must generate from renewable sources.

Commissioners Ben R. Lujan, Jason Marks and Carol Sloan scheduled a public workshop to discuss updating the current renewable energy rule for 10 a.m. May 11 in the commission chambers. Sloan participated by phone in the vote.

Part of the process will include putting into effect the provisions of Senate Bill 418, approved this year and signed into law last month. The law requires utilities to get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources, such as solar, wind or biofuels, by 2015, and then 20 percent of their energy from renewables by 2020. The requirement had been 10 percent of their energy from renewables by 2011.

Also, for the first time, rural electric cooperatives will be required to get a percentage of their energy from renewable sources.

Marks said the updating process gives commissioners a chance to improve other parts of the current rule, especially the way in which utilities are motivated to diversify the types of renewable energy they use.

The current PRC rule gives "weights" to different types of renewable energy. For example, one kilowatt-hour of wind energy equals one kilowatt-hour toward compliance with the total renewable energy standard. However, one kilowatt-hour of energy from biomass equals two kilowatt-hours toward compliance, while one kilowatt-hour of energy from solar equals three kilowatt-hours.

The goal is to motivate companies to include in their plans renewable energy types that are not simply the least expensive or most convenient to obtain, Marks said.

At present in New Mexico, wind energy is so comparatively inexpensive that companies use far more of it than any other type of renewable, he said.

Marks said New Mexico needs to better develop solar energy as a resource.