new mexico solar technologies could mean employment growth, say experts

Advanced solar technologies that include such adaptations as micro-scale solar cells and thin film solar shingles are among the products that New Mexico can manufacture to help create a job-enhancing solar economy.

That is the conclusion of a report just issued by the American Jobs Project and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of New Mexico.

The report, The New Mexico Jobs Project: A Guide to Creating Jobs in Advanced Solar Technology, contends that “the advanced solar industry holds the most potential to increase manufacturing jobs in the state.”

“While Chinese manufacturers have cornered the global market for conventional solar cells, our research shows that New Mexico is poised to capture a growing segment of the solar market by becoming a leading producer of advanced solar technologies,” the report continues.

To get to that point, the report recommends that New Mexico should build a “comprehensive cluster development strategy that encourages knowledge sharing, asset growth, and high-impact marketing.”

The report additionally pushes for the establishment of an “advanced solar center of excellence” designed to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship, while also creating a “technology maturation loan fund” to help increase the number of innovations that actually get to the commercial development stage in New Mexico.

In a statement, Athena Christodoulou, president of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association, said the report illustrates how the state can offer a “pathway for industry growth and collaboration across industry, government, and university partners.”

By Garry Boulard