44TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSION, 1999

RELATING TO ENERGY; PROVIDING FOR A FUEL CELL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ON-SITE ELECTRIC GENERATION; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. RENEWABLE ENERGY AND FUEL CELL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT--SECRETARY OF ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES--DUTIES.--The secretary of energy, minerals and natural resources shall conduct a practical demonstration of a grid-interconnected, but not metered, solar photovoltaic system and an ultra-high-efficiency co-generation fuel cell system powered by natural gas, propane, methanol or hydrogen to generate on-site electricity for government or public use. The solar photovoltaic electric generating system shall be sized and configured to comply with the president's million solar roofs initiative. All demonstrations shall be accessible to the public. The secretary shall conduct an analysis that considers life cycle costing of the new technologies, their appropriate uses and an evaluation of the economic and environmental benefits that might be derived from statewide introduction and application of the technology. Life cycle costing shall be determined by computing the savings derived from the operation of the technology over its useful life, less purchase and operating costs. The goal of the project is to demonstrate a new generation of electric and fossil fuel technologies while providing an opportunity to evaluate their potential economic and environmental benefits. The secretary shall submit the results of the evaluations and recommendations to the second session of the forty-fifth legislature.

Section 2. APPROPRIATION.--Eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the energy, minerals and natural resources department for expenditure in fiscal year 2000 for the purpose of conducting a demonstration and evaluating the results of solar photovoltaic and fuel cell electric generating technologies. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2000 shall revert to the general fund.