New Mexico State University’s Aggie Power solar and battery storage project has been operational since May 2022, following construction at Arrowhead Park in Las Cruces. Developed through a partnership between the university and El Paso Electric (EPE), the installation comprises a 3 MW solar photovoltaic array with approximately 10,000 solar panels. It also has a 1 MW/4 MWh battery energy storage system across a 29-acre site.
EPE owns, operates and maintains the facility under a long-term agreement. NMSU purchases the electricity generated. The project was designed to provide approximately one-third of the university’s campus electricity needs. Other campuses in the U.S. are also banking on renewables and battery storage to help cut costs and go green including solar and battery projects at the University of Wisconsin – Platteville and the University of California, San Diego. It also reduces exposure to peak electricity prices. On research, it also support research and practical training in electrical engineering and smart-grid technologies.
According to NMSU’s May 2022 announcement, the system completed construction in December 2021. This was before undergoing testing and commissioning. Electricity generation began the following May.
New Mexico State University begins construction on solar project
Reported February 17, 2021 – Construction of a solar project has begun at the New Mexico State University on Arrowhead Park. The solar project is expected to produce enough solar electricity to power about one-third of the university’s 900-acre Las Cruces campus by autumn this year.
The project, dubbed Aggie Power, is the result of a new partnership between NMSU and El Paso Electric (EPE). It aims to move forward mutual goals related to state renewable energy, climate action, and micro-grid development.
NMSU and EPE outlined the details of the partnership and solar project in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2018.
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Construction and ownership structure
EPE will own, operate, maintain and oversee the development of the three-megawatt solar photovoltaic project on a 29-acre parcel of land on NMSU’s Arrowhead Park between Interstate 10 and Interstate 25.
The technology includes single-access tracking solar panels and a one-megawatt battery pack made by Tesla. In addition to providing NMSU with a source of renewable energy, Aggie Power also will serve as a living laboratory for faculty and students majoring in electrical engineering, providing research and training opportunities.
“The major benefit is that we’ll be able to receive power during the noon-to-early-evening window, usually when the energy demand is at its peak,” Pat Chavez, director of Utilities and Plant Operations, said. “If we can receive solar power at that optimal time, it means Aggie Power will allow NMSU to lower the need for energy during the time in which energy costs are at their highest. It will also mean less reliance on power from conventional natural gas-powered energy.”, Chavez added.
The Utilities and Plant Operations director also said NMSU has several smaller solar projects throughout the Las Cruces campus, but Aggie Power will be the largest source of green energy once finished. It will be one of three energy sources powering the main campus and give NMSU more flexibility in managing its utility rates and receiving energy, he said.
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