New Solar Incentive for New Mexico Businesses
State's largest utility will pay for solar power.
February 2009
New incentives for New Mexico businesses are expected to increase demand for solar power systems.
Credit: Sandia National Laboratories
As the result of December action by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC), the state's largest utility will pay its business customers $0.15 for each solar kilowatt-hour they produce and use. An incentive of $0.13 per solar kilowatt-hour was already in place for residential customers.
The program will help Public Service of New Mexico, which serves nearly half a million customers, meet the state requirement that the company obtain at least 6% of its electricity from renewable sources. Under New Mexico law, all investor-owned utilities must meet the minimal renewable standard; the requirement will increase to 10% in 2011, 15% in 2015, and 20% in 2020.
The NMPRC also voted to expand the allowable production capacity of business-owned solar systems to 1 megawatt. New Mexico's residential solar systems may have a capacity of as much as 10 kilowatts.
To learn more, read the related story from the December 23, 2008 issue of the Santa Fe New Mexican or see the December 23, 2008 press release from the NMPRC (PDF 34 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
See more New Mexico project descriptions published in Conservation Update.
Read recent New Mexico news stories about state involvement in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects published on the EERE Web site.