The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) has received $3.3 million for a smart microgrid demonstration project. The funds were awarded by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department as part of its grid modernization program.

The researchers will leverage an existing microgrid at New Mexico Tech’s Playas Research and Training Center (PRTC) to evaluate how fiber-optic infrastructure might enhance microgrid reliability and resilience. 

Specifically, the team will use PRTC’s power systems to study how advanced sensing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, predictive monitoring and cybersecurity can address current power system challenges.

By observing how the system’s behavior changes once these systems are integrated, the team can evaluate new approaches and advance grid modernization throughout New Mexico. 

The project will also provide educational opportunities for students and the general public as well as support power system workforce development.

Microgrid research inspires interdisciplinary collaboration

Led by the university’s department of engineering, the project team will include members of the department of computer science and engineering as well as individuals working at two university affiliated research institutes: the Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRD) and Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA).

“This initiative reflects New Mexico Tech’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and to applying university expertise to real-world challenges,” said Qingsong Cui, an assistant professor in the department of electrical engineering and the project’s principal investigator. “By bringing together academic departments and research centers, we are creating a lasting demonstration and training platform that expands opportunities for students, strengthens collaboration with external partners, and supports New Mexico’s efforts to build a more resilient energy future.”

A new life for an old company town

Before it was acquired by New Mexico Tech in 2004, the PRTC  was a 40-acre company town owned by a copper smelter. After the smelter was shuttered in 1999, most of the town's 1,500 inhabitants moved away. The more than 300 homes and buildings left behind now provide government and private sector clients with a controlled environment for real-world critical infrastructure research — including power systems.

It also serves as a training venue for first responders and those working in counterterrorism.

New Mexico no stranger to microgrid and data center ambitions

One of New Mexico’s other microgrids has been in the news of late, too.

Project Jupiter, a massive AI data center campus currently under construction, is about two hours east of the PRTC. The site, powered by 2.45 GW of fuel cells from Bloom Energy, will be one of the largest off-grid microgrids in the country once it’s completed.

Oracle, the site’s future anchor tenant, recently issued a force majeure notice on the multi-billion dollar project.

Force majeure is a contractual provision that relieves parties from their contractual obligations when events beyond their control prevent them from performing. In this case, Oracle is looking to defer payments to developers Blue Owl Capital and BorderPlex Digital Assets should the data center not be operational by 2028, as expected.

The facility has faced a number of challenges since it was announced, including permitting issues and community concerns around environmental impact. These pressures, in part, led the developers to abandon its plans to power the site with gas turbines and diesel generators in favor of the fuel cell-powered microgrid.

 The move significantly lowers the site’s emissions and water consumption profiles but it has not removed all the friction between the community, regulators and the site’s developers.

Construction is ongoing at the site and Oracle has indicated that it remains fully committed to the project.

New Mexico is targeting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% (compared to 2005 levels) by 2030. The state is also working towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The New Mexico Climate Action Plan, a strategic roadmap for achieving these goals, specifically targets emissions from the electricity, industry, transportation, agriculture, buildings and waste sectors.

The Plan also calls for workforce development to support the growing clean and advanced energy infrastructure it expects to build.