A 30 kilowatt (kW) roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) array on The University of New Mexico Student Union Building (SUB) was placed in service late in 2024, marking a milestone for a student-led effort to bring solar energy to the SUB.
The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) initiated the project and successfully worked with the UNM Office of Government and Community Relations to lobby for funds from the state legislature in 2023 and 2024 for the SUB solar project. UNM received the funding through a supplemental appropriations bill and contributing legislators including State Rep. Gail Chasey, and State Senators Michael Padilla and Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez. The funding was used for the design, permitting, engineering, and installation of the SUB solar array.
Once the appropriations were received, UNM Utility Services worked with New Mexico-based company Sol Luna to install the project. The SUB solar installation was designed for future growth, and there is an interconnection agreement in place with Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) that can accommodate a future photovoltaic array up to 270 kW, if funding becomes available.
Adding to solar on UNM’s campus
The Student Union Building solar system adds to the 12 previously existing solar arrays across UNM’s main and branch campuses. In 2020, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) secured funding from the New Mexico Legislature for solar energy on campus, which was ultimately installed on Zimmerman Library. Now from the roof of the Student Union Building, it is possible to see this 241 kW PV array on top of Zimmerman Library and the 180 kW PV installation atop the Yale Parking Structure behind it. The University now has 1.7 megawatts (MW) of solar energy installed across its campuses.
Future solar potential at UNM
For the 2025 legislative session, GPSA is requesting an additional $200,000 in funds to further build out solar photovoltaics on the UNM Student Union Building. This project is “shovel ready,” with the interconnection agreement in place, and has the potential to further help UNM reduce its carbon footprint and meet sustainability objectives.
UNM’s Strategic Framework, UNM 2040, highlights Sustainability as a core institutional goal, and UNM hired its first-ever Sustainability Director in 2024. These solar projects contribute to campus efforts to continually reduce UNM’s environmental footprint.
