NEWS

On May 17, people from over 20 New Mexico institutions of higher education, state government, industry, and non-profit organizations attended the Year 1 NM SMART Grid Center All Hands Meeting in Albuquerque. The nearly 100 attendees enjoyed a keynote address by the Chancellor of New Mexico State University, Dr. Dan Arvizu, who was previously the Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on renewable and sustainable energy.

Dr. Arvizu’s address to the NM SMART Grid Center audience focused on the critical role the Center will play in the transition to a low-carbon energy future. Advances in solar and wind energy, microgrids, energy storage, sensing, and data analytics are paramount, according to Dr. Arvizu, and must occur in tandem with new regulatory models that keep pace with technological development and support communities impacted by a transition to a clean energy economy (e.g., communities dependent on coal mining and electricity generation). Given the state’s rich natural resource mix, two Department of Energy national laboratories, and nationally recognized research institutions, the NM SMART Grid Center team stands in a unique position to provide leadership to a low-carbon energy future.