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By Isabella Alves / Journal North Saturday, August 28th, 2021 at 10:45PM

Offering a shady spot for cars and people, the solar panels on the state’s South Capitol campus for the Runnels, Sims and Montoya buildings in Santa Fe help power the state’s buildings.

Since it went live in June, the sun-powered renewable energy, along with other efficiency measures, has created over $200,000 in energy cost savings, Anna Silva, Facilities Management Division director, said.

Before the solar panel installation, the Montoya building alone would have $100,000 in utility bills per month, she said.

The solar panels are part of the State Buildings Green Energy Project, which is the state’s $32 million initiative to increase energy efficiency in 30 state buildings in Santa Fe. Silva said the project is saving New Mexicans taxpayer dollars and benefiting the environment.

“This is the highest priority – how do we make our buildings more efficient?” Silva said. “And how are we, the state, going to be the example? We’re leading by example … everything that we do is focused on renewable energy efficiency measures.”

In a state that has more sunny days than not, this translates into an annual savings of $219,000 in utility costs, with 40% of the buildings’ power coming from the solar panels.

These solar panel carports are also the largest non-utility solar panels in the state on a single site, said Thom Cole, public information officer for the General Services Department. Silva said the state didn’t know this going into the project, but found out after its completion. It was something that was pretty exciting to learn, she said.

Silva said she worked with a contractor, Trane Technologies, for an investment-grade audit to determine the best sources of energy efficiency measures. This included a push for renewable energy, which is how the solar panel carports came into play.

The solar panel carports cost $6.9 million to construct and will generate about 1.6 megawatts a year. She said the upkeep on the solar panels is minimal, and the state also has a warranty on them in case of any damage.

These panels will cause a 2,410 metric ton reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions, which translates to about 2.7 million pounds of burnt coal, according to Cole’s news release.

But the Green Energy Project, which is slated to wrap up on South Capitol’s campus in December, is more than just the solar panels.

In addition to renewable energy, the buildings’ HVAC systems were also upgraded, windows tinted, new transformers installed, and more to encompass its energy savings. The entire 30-building project will save the state up to $1.4 million per year in efficiencies.

This includes the Wendell Chino building, which on completion next summer will be the state’s first net-zero energy building.

“This campus, all of Santa Fe buildings, are going to be, by comparison, one of the most efficient campuses statewide,” Silva said.

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