Sandia, Mesa del Sol enter new energy, sustainability era

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Sandia National Laboratories and Mesa del Sol have signed a formal agreement to partner and work on several technical projects supporting the research, development and demonstration of energy technologies in a real-life environment at Mesa del Sol — all toward the goal of achieving the nation’s energy objectives and meeting national energy needs.

“This is perhaps one of the most pioneering and innovative projects in New Mexico and the nation,” said Michael Daly, president of Mesa del Sol. “Today’s signing shows that Sandia and Mesa del Sol share a common vision and commitment to having a positive, significant impact on our environment and on our nation’s energy and water resources.”

Daly said Sandia, as one of the nation’s leading energy research and development laboratories, and Mesa del Sol will be able to advance technical work already underway and provide a foundation for new work and job creation in the energy and sustainability fields.

As part of a subsequent research agreement, Daly said Sandia personnel will occupy space at Mesa del Sol’s soon to open Aperture Center. Sandia intends to demonstrate new technologies and methodologies including: smart grid and microgrid; energy monitoring and storage; concentrating solar technologies as well as energy control and security. An envisioned technology display and visitors center will also serve as a science discovery venue for students and the community. Sandia’s presence in the Innovation Center will also help to facilitate collaborative research and development activities between the Laboratories and University of New Mexico.

Daly said the partnership will help Sandia meet Congressional and DOE priorities for advancing alternative and renewable energy initiatives with the added benefit of public/private partnering. While many of the projects will take place at Mesa del Sol, projects are also scheduled for military residential communities Forest City is remodeling and upgrading in Honolulu, Hawaii. Forest City is the developer of Mesa del Sol. Sandia activities in Hawaii will include evaluation of new foam insulation effectiveness on several of the model homes, advisement on placement and installation of photovoltaic systems, plus recommendations on technical aspects of power, tax credits and performance assessment of systems for heating and other uses.

“The Sandia collaboration with Mesa del Sol supports a broader strategic partnership with its parent company, Forest City Enterprises,” said Les Shephard, Sandia vice president for Energy, Security, and Defense Technologies. “Forest City’s progressive community developments, like Mesa del Sol, provide real-world physical domains for data collection and technology demonstrations to advance the state of the art in renewable energy and sustainable communities.”

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.