raw · articles · ingested 2026-08-01
NMSEA's History — nmsolar.org founding account
Source: https://www.nmsolar.org/history/
Fetched from https://www.nmsolar.org/history/ on 2026-08-01, to resolve the Ken-vs-Keith Haggard co-founder question.
Founding
“New Mexico Solar Energy Association was founded in 1972 in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico by Peter van Dresser, Steve Baer, and Keith Haggard.” They hosted their first “Life Technic” conference with over 50 other members to share information about solar energy; the proceedings became NMSEA’s first official publication.
- Peter van Dresser — first president; regional/urban planner championing decentralized self-sufficient communities; built solar and wind-powered residences in El Rito, NM.
- Steve Baer — zome pioneer (“more open and structurally flexible” than traditional domes).
- Keith Haggard — third co-founder; the page gives no further biography.
Early projects and decline
NMSEA’s inaugural initiative, the Sun-dwellings project, received a $34,000 grant from the Four Corners Regional Commission; four experimental dwellings were built with various passive solar technologies. The organization declined after van Dresser’s death in 1983 and federal funding shifts.
Revival
Rebuilt through the SunChaser educational vehicle (1990s) and the annual Solar Fiesta (launched 2000).