Hot spring environment could unlock energy
Mar. 25—Could the secret behind New Mexico's hot springs become an energy source?
Our cover story and Tech Outlook podcast this week are about New Mexico's geothermal energy potential, and efforts that are underway to tap into the technology.
It started 75 years ago by accident when irrigators stumbled onto extremely hot water bubbling up out of the ground in southern New Mexico.
Underneath New Mexico's Rio Grande Valley is the Rio Grande rift, which is tectonically active and pushes the Earth's heat closer to the surface. It's the reason there are hot springs scattered throughout the state.
Our story is how experts throughout the state are working to harness that power. New Mexico, they said, is poised to be one of the top states to benefit from geothermal energy if it becomes a common source of energy.
Operators have to essentially drill deep enough to harness the heat, which can then be used as a source of energy.
For a primer on the science and an explainer on what geothermal energy is, there's a Q&A and a podcast coming out later this afternoon with Shari Kelley, a geophysicist with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Leaders are pushing from different angles to try to instigate development.
Legislators have passed bills this year to incentivize development, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is working on federal legislation, New Mexico Tech is a leader in the field and several businesses are working to advance the science.
The state is a leading producer of oil and gas, but Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced intentions to move away from fossil fuels. The Energy Transition Act calls on the state to use 100% renewable sources for energy by 2045.
Geothermal marks another energy source that New Mexico is trying to move toward. Experts said the technology could supplement wind and solar power.
There have been major announcements related to renewable energy throughout the state in the past year or so.
Officials broke ground on a massive wind farm in Corona, the largest of its kind in the U.S. Maxeon Solar Technologies has announced open a facility in Albuquerque to manufacture technology for its solar panels. The governor has also said she wants the state to be a leader in hydrogen energy.
All of these efforts won't come online for a number of years.
However, the plethora of such announcements does offer hope that the state can continue to be a leader in energy development while the governor continues the effort to transition away from fossil fuels.
New Mexico produces more oil than all states except Texas. And oil and gas revenue results in the bulk of state revenue.
Demand for oil and gas is likely to remain for the foreseeable future. But as the state moves away from it, there are several other sources of energy, and money, that are closer to reality.
