UNM will soon build a photovoltaic shade structure at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center, a move that will benefit the University and the city in multiple ways.
Jeff Zumwalt, director of the Physical Plant Department at UNM, said the project will oversee the installation of a 96 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at the tennis courts on south campus.
“The combination of solar power with shaded seating has great potential,” Zumwalt said.
He said construction will begin in early November and conclude in late January, with a total cost of about $484,000.
“This will be UNM’s seventh solar power installation since 2010,” Zumwalt said. “However, it’s our first system designed to be visible to the public. The other systems are on rooftops.”
Rio Grande Solar will pay for half of the project while UNM will pay the other half, he said. This is not the first donation from Rio Grande Solar; the first was in 2012 and resulted in the current system on top of the Science and Math Learning Center.
Since that time the company has matched funds for the solar systems on the roofs of the Continuing Education building and UNM West as well, he said.
The next project will reduce the University’s energy costs by about $15,000, and the carbon footprint by 65 tons a year, Zumwalt said. In combination with the all of the previous solar installations, this brings total annual savings to over $113,000 and a total reduction of UNM's carbon footprint by 545 tons a year.
“There are intangible benefits as well,” he said. “ We’re hopeful that the shaded seating and the high visibility of the system will generate greater interest and support for solar power at UNM.”
UNM regents approved the project for development at their Sept. 11 meeting, said Board of Regent President Jack Fortner.
“The University is committed to energy conservation and sustainability,” Fortner said. “UNM’s implementation of solar-generated power facilities benefits everyone.”
Before its approval, the regents were provided with the economics of the project, Fortner said. The information projected a payback for the project occurring in less than six months and the current net value is a little more than $600,000.
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“So economically, it appears to be good decision,” he said. “Environmentally, it is also a sound sustainability investment.”
The project was initially started in May by the PPD, with a request for proposals from local solar power companies interested in sharing the costs of solar power systems released by UNM, he said.
The PPD then discussed possible sites for a system with the Athletics Department and Rio Grande Solar, eventually deciding on the McKinnon Family Tennis Center.
However, that’s not the end of UNM’s current plans.
“We’re exploring projects for the other warm-season sports such as baseball, softball, and track and field,” Zumwalt said. “Our current funding stream supports about one system of this size per year."
He said that, prior to 2015, UNM had been required to contribute to PNM’s renewable energy program.
“It was our opinion that those funds could be used much more efficiently if they were redirected to renewable energy projects at UNM,” he said.
Working with the Government Relations office, they achieved the desired change thanks to the Renewable Energy Act of 2014.
“Now, those funds are used solely for renewable energy at UNM,” Zumwalt said.
Matthew Reisen is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
