WE HAVE A CHOICE
| We can let an out-of-state power company build an INDUSTRIAL-SCALE lithium-ion battery facility in the middle of over 10,000 homes and four schools – while they get virtually all the benefit, and we face all the risks… | OR… | We can advocate for a COMMUNITY SOLAR project – where we ensure our safety and enjoy all the benefits. We even understand that battery storage needs to be part of that development, but it needs to be safe for our communities and the environment. |
And right now, neither our County nor State has established the regulations and guidelines to protect us
from the hazards of industrial scale, for-profit energy projects.
Concept Paper Summary
The CEC offers a concept paper that is more than merely an alternative to the Rancho Viejo Solar Project currently proposed by AES Corporation. As the County is aware, CEC opposes the AES Project not because it is solar and not because it has BESS, but because it attempts to place solar and BESS in a risky location without benefit to the community. As an alternative, we offer here a concept paper for a comprehensive approach to energy development and management, one that will deliver to all residents and businesses in Santa Fe County the benefits of an optimized approach that…
- Is modular and offers scalability through federated and distributed design,
- Is consistent with the land use principles of the Sustainable Land Development Code,
- Aligns with guidelines for community and commercial renewable energy projects,
- Shares responsibility and cost with Santa Fe energy customers and potential investors and partners,
- Easily fits into the Santa Fe County Sustainable Growth Management Plan (SGMP),
- Most important, is future-proof and safe for all communities within Santa Fe County.
The hope is that this concept paper will begin serious discussion around disrupting the current state of the electric grid in the county. Not one of these concepts is new or unproven. Enabling these concepts will take time, resources including money, innovation (public and private), changes in Laws, Regulations and Policy (LRP), and leadership.
Now is the perfect time for the County to enact a new vision for energy development, management, and delivery by transitioning to a Smart Electric Grid. The current electric grid is aging and monolithic, there is an urgent need to respond to climate change, and there are also many useful state and federal renewable-energy initiatives and incentives available. To move to a Smart Electric Grid, the County can partner with current electricity providers, local communities, and private entities to manage its electric power production, transmission, distribution, and demand. With a centralized energy management capability, a Santa Fe County Smart Electric Grid will allow the County, represented in the paper as the Grid Manager, to coordinate and respond to available and future renewable-energy initiatives, resulting in a coherent, effective system that provides electricity affordably, reliably, and sensibly in both the short- and long term.
– See one-page printable summary – See full printable concept paper
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