New Mexico awarded $156M for solar program

The federal Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that New Mexico will receive $156 million from a $7 billion program allocated to statewide “Solar for All” programs, mostly investing in shared energy systems accessible by multiple households. The announcement came on “Earth Day,” observed on April 22.

New Mexico aims to assist nearly 21,000 households that might not otherwise be able to install solar energy systems.

Nationwide, per the EPA, the program will bring shared solar energy infrastructure to 900,000 households in low-income communities.

“Collectively, these programs will deliver on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s objectives by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution, delivering cost savings on electric bills for overburdened households, and unlocking new markets for distributed solar in 25 states and territories that have never had a statewide low-income solar program before,” the EPA states on its website.

New Mexico’s program will be administered by the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, per a news release. The departments Energy Conservation and Management Division estimated the program will save households over $299 million over 20 years in energy costs and prevent the release of 116,628 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while producing an estimated 8.1 megawatt hours for stored energy when sunlight is insufficient.

The infrastructure will consist of shared solar access projects, according to the EPA, which will allow multiple households including multifamily units, such as apartment houses, to draw power generated from solar energy. Additionally, EMNRD says it plans to coordinate local utility infrastructure upgrades with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission to assure the community solar systems will function properly. The first installations under the program are expected to begin in 2025.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called the EPA competitions “an unprecedented investment in clean, affordable renewable energy for low-income communities across the country” in a statement.

The governor’s office said additional grants will support roof repairs for solar panel installation and installations in areas where community solar power is not feasible, such as those with households not connected to a power grid but who could be served with battery backup power.

ECMD Division Director Rebecca “Puck” Stair stated in a news release that an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee would be working with state agencies to help ensure the program benefits low-income residents.

The environmental justice aspect aligns with a Biden Administration policy goal of assuring 40 percent of federal investments in cleaner energy and affordable housing, among other priorities, benefit disadvantaged communities often inequitably burdened by pollution and lack of development; as well as a federal goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.