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The layout of the proposed Globemallow solar project near Stanley.
The location of the proposed Globemallow solar facility in Santa Fe County.
A map showing the location of the proposed Globemallow project.
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The layout of the proposed Globemallow solar project near Stanley.
The location of the proposed Globemallow solar facility in Santa Fe County.
Santa Fe County is weighing another utility-scale solar and battery energy storage development, which with more than 700,000 solar panels, would be one of the largest projects ever proposed in the state.
A Thursday meeting on Linea Energy’s Globemallow project just north of Stanley in southeastern Santa Fe County showed much less resistance and interest than the Rancho Viejo solar project. Only a handful of people attended a Sustainable Land Development Code hearing officer meeting about the proposal. By contrast, the controversial Rancho Viejo project saw hundreds of people turn out to marathon meetings.
The San Francisco-based company plans to sell its power to Public Service Company of New Mexico and aims to produce a stunning 350 megawatts — enough electricity to power an estimated 93,000 homes annually, Linea Energy officials have said — on some 2,000 acres of agricultural and ranch land. The proposal has drawn excitement from clean energy advocates.
“Projects like this show that we don’t have to choose between economic development and protecting Mother Earth because we can do both,” said Emmet Yepa of the Semilla Project, a nonprofit advocacy and leadership development organization.
Globemallow would not be the largest solar farm in the state, but it would be close. The Atrisco solar and battery energy storage project in Rio Rancho generates about 365 megawatts of energy.
The Globemallow project would be 250 to 300 containers as part of the battery energy storage system, along with 761,904 solar panels, Linea officials wrote in a previous email.
Detractors of solar arrays with battery energy storage systems often argue such projects pose risks of thermal runaway fires and affect property values. However, proponents say new technology dramatically reduces risks posed by such facilities.
The Globemallow project did not receive any direct opposition Thursday, but some Stanley-area residents raised concerns about water issues facing those who live in the troubled Estancia Basin.
“As a Stanley resident, my concern is water,” said Cindy Golden Arnold. “We have people whose wells are going dry, and we have no water systems to hook up to where we are at. … If we don’t have water, it doesn’t matter what energy we have.”
The Globemallow Solar Project is estimated to use 67.4 acre-feet of water during construction of the project, according to Linea Energy’s conditional use permit application. That’s the equivalent of about 22 million gallons of water.
The application points out various potential sources for the water, including Entranosa Water Association potable water stations and the Santa Fe County bulk water dispensing facilities.
“Water during construction will be used for dust control, compaction, equipment washing, and general construction activities,” the application reads.
Linea Energy officials noted they are not seeking to obtain any new water rights for the property, at 4234 N.M. 41, other than what is tied to it currently.
Consideration of the new project follows the Santa Fe County commissioners’ August approval of the controversial Rancho Viejo Solar Project. Opponents of that project — most notably an Eldorado-based group known as the Clean Energy Coalition — have appealed the commissioners’ decision in District Court. Rancho Viejo Solar plans to generate 96 megawatts of power and roughly 45 megawatts of battery storage, developers have said.
The Globemallow proposal comes as New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act, passed in 2019, lays out an ambitious timeline of renewable energy goals for the state’s power grid, requiring electric utilities to generate 50% of their power from renewable sources by 2030 and 80% by 2040. Investor-owned utilities must reach 100% renewable sources by 2045 and rural electric cooperatives by 2050.
In a recent email to members, the Clean Energy Coalition of Santa Fe County, a group with over 2,000 members that opposed Rancho Viejo, said it would attend the Thursday meeting to provide comments and express recommendations about Globemallow. Several members of the group spoke, in some cases raising concerns about thermal runaway fires stemming from battery energy storage facilities and scrutinizing aspects of Linea Energy’s application.
“Given our current court case regarding the AES project, we’ve decided neither to fully support or oppose the Linea one,” the organization said in an emailed message to its members.
Andrew Davidson, a senior associate with Linea Energy, said company leaders expect construction to begin in 2027. PNM has transmission line infrastructure on the property for the development, he said.
Following a recommendation from a Santa Fe County hearing officer, the Planning Commission will next consider the conditional use permit application for the project.
A map showing the location of the proposed Globemallow project.
The new proposal, just north of Stanley, comes after commissioners recently approved the Rancho Viejo Solar project, opposed by some Eldorado residents.
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