Unlike solar panels which are installed on the customer's rooftop and are solely for the use of one household or customer, community solar is an offsite solar array that provides power to a wider community rather than on individual homes.  It allows multiple customers (residential, small business, nonprofit governmental, municipalities, and tribal) in the utility's service territory the option to buy a share of the electrical output of the community solar energy generating system.  Subscribers will receive solar benefits in their participation, primarily at a lower cost in the form of credits for energy produced by the community solar facility. 

Customers may subscribe to a community solar project that is located in the same service territory as your electric utility.  Contact a Subscriber Organization nearby.  See the list of Subscriber Organizations and the location of community solar projects within the PNM service territory.

A subscriber organization is a person or entity that owns or operates a community solar energy generating system.  We expect solar developers, a municipality, a county, a for-profit or nonprofit entity or organization, an Indian nation, tribe, pueblo, or a local tribal entity authorized to transact business in New Mexico to consider applying to participate in the community solar program as subscriber organizations.  Individual subscribers are customers who buy a share of the electricity generated by a community solar energy generating system and get a credit on the bill from PNM.

A subscriber organization must first be granted admission to the program by the program administrator, Inclime, and the Commission.  After selection for a community solar project and receiving an ID number, the subscriber organization must then apply to the utility serving the location of the project for solar interconnection.  The capacity of each project must not exceed 5 MW.  

Inclime Program Administrator
PNM Solar Interconnection

One requirement of the program is restricted for projects that must serve a significant percentage of low- and moderate-income customers.  30% of each project's capacity carve-out per project must be filled by low-income or related service organizations.  When you sign up for community solar, notify your subscriber organization that you are a low- or moderate-income customer and the subscriber organization will verify your eligibility.

Yes.  Participating in the program does not require you to install solar panels on your residence.  You can subscribe to get your energy from a community solar project in your utility's service territory.

You only need to live in the PNM service territory served by a community solar project.  If you move within that same service territory you can transfer your subscription to your new residence.  Subject to the terms and conditions of your contract, you may be able to transfer your subscription to another eligible customer.

Bill credits will vary depending on your subscription contract (refer to your contract with your Subscriber Organization for specific terms and conditions).  You will get a bill credit based on the amount of electricity produced by your share of the project.

As a PNM customer, you can apply to a subscriber organization to buy a share of the electrical output of the community solar facility near you.  Customers will receive two bills when subscribed to Community Solar.  The PNM bill with both the total energy consumption and the bill credit applied for the amount of the community solar subscription.  The other bill will be the Subscriber Organizations' bill for their share of the solar facility output bill at the rate charged by the developer.