NM CSETP

The Need for Center of Technology Excellence in NM

On Innovation

A broad overview of roles and realizing potential improvements and innovations in renewable energy is discussed by IHS Markit and Energy Futures Initiative and emphasizes the need for R&D. See their report:

“Advancing the Landscape of Energy Innovation” - Feb 2019, 229 pages

The ideas of technology hubs is discussed in the book:

Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream” – Johnathan Gruber & Simon Johnson, Public Affairs – April 9, 2019 368 pages

and on their website. However, Albuquerque is 53rd on the list of candidates for Top Technology Hubs. Santa Fe fails to meet the three parameters:

• House price upper bound $265,000
• Working Population lower bound, 100,000
• Percent College Grad lower bound 25%

while Los Alamos makes no appearance. The three parameters are meant to determine if there’s cheap (affordable?) housing, a significant percentage of the population is well educated. Rochester, NY is cited as the poster-child.

Issues to Consider

• R&D at state level is not at the levels it needs to be.
• The state departments of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, EMNRD (Sarah Cotrell Propst) (http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/) and Economic Development Department, EDD (https://gonm.biz/) may have a role.
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tec) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) are possible candidate academic institutions since they have extension service missions
• NM is the only state without manufacturing for renewables.
• Governor Michelle Lujan Grissom is reported to share this same sentiment.
• Approach as an individual professional engineer with an interest in what plans they might have to support R&D and the NM economy
• What areas of research and commercialization might they support, see above.
• What additional resources and NM govt. support would help.
• How could I help etc.
• Don’t use the 350 organization to get an audience, it might be prejudicial to the cause.
• Paul Biderman is familiar with the university system in NM and might be a good colleague to invite.
• Robb couldn’t supply names of contacts at NMSU.

• As of September 2019 it didn't appear that NM had funds to spare for such a project, even with O&G revenues that might last 10 yrs.

Some Examples

Sandia National Labs and Lawrence Livermore National Labs together have formed the Livermore Valley Open Campus – a university in Livermore, California. Research is pursued, students are educated and they may collaborate with nearby universities.

Sandia has research centers for PV, Wind and Storage, and a partnership program that may have resources. Sandia in Albuquerque and the Technology Partnership would know more, after all Sandia has lots of non-weapons research. See:

Working with Sandia/Technology Partnerships

On Policy Discussions

A discussion on why R&D is overlooked:

“The climate change policy with the most potential is the most neglected” - VOX David Roberts - Jul 11, 2019:

Areas of Research

Petrochemical Substitutions

Much of modern civilization is built on the products from the oil and gas extractive industries. Plastics in protective equipment, supplies etc. are critical to a viable modern health care system. Trains, boats, planes and automobiles rely enormously on plastic parts of one kind or another. Lubricants based on mineral oils keep everything moving. Chemical dyes and paints color our world. Nylon fibers carpet our homes and clothe our bodies. In order to get off fossil fuels, leaving it in the ground will also starve the chemical industries for these products. We need alternatives, somethings that will substitute for feedstocks derived from oil and gas. 13% of petroleum is used in chemical manufacturing, i.e. not burned.

To begin with…

Natural rubber production (latex) worldwide in 2017 amounted to more than 13.5 million metric tons. Synthetic rubber production worldwide in 2017 amounted to some 15.05 million metric tons.

These natural fibers can be grown:

• sisal
• cotton
• seagrass
• jute
• silk
• coir
• wool
• flax

Natural polymers/plastics can be made by fermentation

• polyhydroxybutyrate-valerate, or PHBV – made in a bacteria/fermentation process

Bio-lubricants can be derived from vegetable oils

• Bio-lubricants are derived from vegetable oils and other renewable sources. They usually are triglyceride esters (fats obtained from plants and animals. For lubricant base oil use, the vegetable derived materials are preferred.

Renewable energies will be needed to run the processes that will convert these sources into commercial products. Successful leaders in these industries will probably make a killing! Development times tho’ can take decades so starting now may not be too late.

We need an advanced technology research and development center to make New Mexico a leader in this field. With appropriate funding, we could search out experts in these sciences and technologies, grow them locally or get them to move to northern New Mexico in our own Research Triangle (Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Albuquerque)! Spinoff successes will create great job opportunities in solar powered pilot plant and manufacturing projects.