New Mexico’s community solar program took one more step this week toward serving customers who can’t erect their own solar panels.
The Public Regulation Commission passed rules that will help guide the construction and operation of solar facilities for renters, low-income residents, people with roofs that aren’t situated for solar panels and other customers.
“It definitely feels like we have a really excellent opportunity now,” said Christian Casillas, director of policy development with the Santa Fe-based Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico.
The coalition will work with community organizations to spread the word to low-income households about the chance to participate.
The Legislature passed community solar legislation last year and assigned the job of rule-making to the Public Regulation Commission.
“This has been years in the making,” commission chairman Joseph Maestas of Santa Fe said of a state community solar initiative.
“This is a pilot program,” Maestas said. “There are still many things we can’t foresee but will realize upon implementation.”
The commission is expected to give a report to a legislative committee by November 2024 on how the program is functioning.
The commission will hire an independent administrator to select developers by fall to build the projects and operate the subscriber organizations. Commission spokeswoman Sarah Valencia said the agency will request proposals next week to find the third-party administrator.
Casillas said some states with community solar programs report participating customers reap a
10 percent reduction in their monthly electric bills.
Adam Alvarez, a senior program manager with Public Service Company of New Mexico, said he expects at least 40 solar facilities to be erected statewide for the community solar program.
The investor-owned electric utilities in the state may bid on construction and operation of some facilities. The energy generated from the solar facilities typically will use those utilities’ distribution systems.
“We think this is a good program for the state,” Alvarez said.
Thirty percent of the energy from each project will be reserved for low-income customers at reduced cost, Maestas said.
He said solar energy shouldn’t be restricted to people who can afford their own solar panels. This, he said, is a program that offers energy equity.