SENATE MEMORIAL 46

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS TO WORK WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DEVELOP PLANS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITH MEMBERSHIP OF LESS THAN THREE HUNDRED STUDENTS.

     WHEREAS, nearly one-third of New Mexico school districts fall below membership of three hundred students; and

     WHEREAS, these rural, necessarily small, school districts must receive emergency supplemental funding because they cannot generate enough program units to pay all of their operating expenses through the regular funding formula distribution; and

     WHEREAS, savings on energy usage in these school districts will translate immediately into money to spend on vital programmatic needs rather than spending precious dollars on fixed costs, such as heating and cooling or turning on the lights; and

     WHEREAS, three small school districts, Carrizozo, Corona and Elida, used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grants to install grid-connected photovoltaic systems of fifty to one hundred kilowatts and, while these systems are not large enough to generate all of the energy needs of these school districts, the system at Corona, for example, has reduced its electric bills by fifty-five percent; and

     WHEREAS, Corona also deployed a future farmers of America student team to study electrical energy usage in every space in the school district, and the team made recommendations that will result in a significant reduction in electrical costs over and above the savings realized by photovoltaic electricity production; and

     WHEREAS, a photovoltaic system is one of the most appropriate technologies for school districts for many reasons, including:

          A. it is simple in design and installation and there is no magic or mystery in the technology;

          B. maintenance is minimal to none, and recruiting and retaining skilled maintenance staff has been a perennial district problem, particularly in rural, small districts;

          C. these are high-performance systems with a long life, as demonstrated by their typical warranties of twenty-five years or more;

          D. newer installation designs require no roof penetrations when installed on metal roofs, and roof leaks are not a problem with proper installation; and

          E. with proper installation and customary factory warranties, there is no need for expensive extended warranties and long-distance service after sale; and

     WHEREAS, to acquire photovoltaic systems, school districts can use the general services department purchasing division's photovoltaic solar price agreement for state agencies and school districts, which has been extended to December 31, 2013, or they can use the energy, minerals and natural resources department's sample request for proposals; and

     WHEREAS, based on lower panel costs and lessons learned from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act school projects, photovoltaic systems can be designed and installed quickly for less than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per site using New Mexico companies and employees; and

     WHEREAS, continuing the Corona school district example, the district could pay off the investment in a one hundred kilowatt photovoltaic system within five years and have a system that remains under warranty for twenty more years; and

     WHEREAS, coupled with comprehensive energy plans that include other energy savings, the savings to school districts and the state will be significant;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the energy, minerals and natural resources and the public education departments work with the rural, necessarily small, school districts to develop plans for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs in those school districts with membership of less than three hundred students; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the programs include energy audits and the panoply of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies that will reduce or eliminate utility costs in these school districts; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretaries of energy, minerals and natural resources and public education and the superintendents of the Animas, Carrizozo, Chama Valley, Cimarron, Corona, Des Moines, Dora, Elida, Floyd, Grady, Hondo Valley, House, Lake Arthur, Logan, Maxwell, Mosquero, Quemado, Questa, Reserve, Roy, San Jon, Springer, Vaughn and Wagon Mound school districts.

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