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Sunpro Solar workers installed a $100,000 solar system on the roof of the Joy Junction homeless shelter in the midst of coronavirus last year. Local solar manufacturer Unirac Inc. donated the system to give back to the community during the pandemic. (Courtesy of Unirac Inc.)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. The coronavirus impacted New Mexico’s solar companies in different ways, slowing growth for some while creating new opportunities for others.
Most emerged from the pandemic stronger than before. But now, with a new solar boom underway, companies are facing new challenges that reflect the growing pains of an industry on the rise.
Positive Energy Solar projects staffing increase due to rise in renewable energy demand bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
How Community Solar Power Projects Support Homeless Housing and Fight the Extractive Fuel Industry (Image by BlackRockSolar via Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
New Mexico’s efforts to solarize local venues paint a vision for a future of community energy self-sufficiency.
By April M. Short
Homelessness has been on the rise nationwide due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, and in New Mexico it was already climbing prior to the pandemic. New Mexico experienced a 27 percent rise in homelessness between 2018 and 2019, which is the “largest percentage increase” in homelessness in the country according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.”
Yves here. It’s gratifying to see New Mexico take a forward step in combatting homelessness by providing them with housing and using solar power to make it even more affordable. The only sad note is that they can do it only on a modest scale compared to the need.
By April M. Short, an editor, journalist and documentary editor and producer. She is a writing fellow at Local Peace Economy, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Previously, she served as a managing editor at AlterNet as well as an award-winning senior staff writer for Santa Cruz, California’s weekly newspaper. Her work has been published with the San Francisco Chronicle, In These Times, Salon and many others. Produced by Local Peace Economy, a project of the Independent Media Institute