New Mexico, Affordable Solar bring 24-MW of solar to replace coal-fired systems

Solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Affordable Solar, has partnered with Array Technologies, Inc. (ATI) to bring clean solar energy to thousands of New Mexicans in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. Industry pioneers Affordable Solar and ATI are both locally owned and operate out of Albuquerque.

The Santa Fe Solar Energy Center and Santolina Solar Energy Center, roughly 12 MW (dc) each, haven recently been completed near Santa Fe and Albuquerque respectively. The projects’ 78,000+ Jinko modules mounted on ATI’s DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis trackers will provide reliable power to the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM).

The projects were developed by PNM as part of the replacement plan for closing two coal fired units at San Juan Generating Station and also to respond to state-mandated Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). The declining cost of solar energy, combined with solar’s ability to provide energy at peak demand times, is driving utility adoption of solar plants to meet RPS requirements across the nation. Solar trackers enhance peak power generation by broadening daily production curves, delivering smooth energy to the grid well into the late afternoon and early evening.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/new-mexico-affordable-solar-bring-12-mw-of-solar-to-replace-coal-fired-systems/]