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southwestroadtrip

Operating a 30-megawatt solar farm from one PC

MOSCA, Colo.--Within a few days, Nick Thiel will take control of about 110,000 high-end solar panels pumping 30 megawatts of power onto the grid from a former potato and carrot farm.

Thiel is operations manager of the San Luis Solar Ranch, a 300-acre facility in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, a high-desert area considered ideal for solar power generation. I visited the solar ranch during a week-long expedition of energy-related locations in New Mexico and southern Colorado organized by the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources.

The SunPower solar panels, which cover 220 acres themselves, are … Read more

Getting schooled on going green

SANTA FE, N.M.--The community college here is bringing environmental sustainability into the classroom for plumbers and electricians.

I visited the Santa Fe Community College on Saturday as part of a fellowship organized by the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources, which leads groups of journalists on expeditions meant to deepen their understanding of environmental issues.

The first stop on our weeklong trip through northern New Mexico and southern Colorado was to visit a new green building on the grounds of Santa Fe Community College. The building itself includes some cutting-edge features, including a solar-powered cooling system, and houses … Read more