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By John Fleck
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Tuesday, 09 June 2009 16:06 |
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Expect PNM's solar ambitions to be scaled back when it submits its renewable energy plan to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission at the end of June.
PNM last summer issued a request for proposals looking for a vendor to build a solar thermal power plant. At the time, PNM was partnered with three other utilities, something that offered some economies of scale that would have allowed construction of a good-sized plant. One possibility on the table was a solar plant at Mesa del Sol, the green-themed planned development south of the Albuquerque airport. But the other three utilities have pulled out, changing the economics completely, PNM renewable energy program chief Greg Nelson told me today.In the meantime, according to Nelson, the cost of photovoltaic panels has dropped considerably. That changes the economic equation, in part because you can start small with PV panels and scale up over time, something that is not really feasible with thermal plants. Nelson said final decisions have not been made. We'll have a clearer picture at the end of the month, when the company submits its renewable energy plans to the PRC.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 June 2009 16:46 )
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