EPA Announces Over $156 Million to Fund Solar Energy Systems for Low-Income New Mexico Residents

The grant, which will pay for installation of solar energy systems in low-income households, will be administered by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

The funding comes from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a historic investment in American clean energy finance. The GGRF was created by the Inflation Reduction Act and operates with the goal to mobilize financing to address the climate crisis, ensure our country’s economic competitiveness, and promote energy resilience in communities.

This program is just of the many ways in which the Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham administration is working to ensure all New Mexicans share in the clean-energy transition. New Mexico has a strong foundation for solar installations and is ready to implement projects that engage with low income and disadvantaged communities (LIDAC). LIDAC households, including those living on tribal lands or in tribal or rural communities and in rural communities, are highly vulnerable to energy emergencies and disruptions.

With this funding, EMRND will create an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and conduct outreach to advertise New Mexico’s SFA opportunities. Additionally, a Project Team will have overall responsibility for the development, financing, design, and construction of the SFA Program. The Project Team intends to integrate Energy Storage Systems (ESS) to enhance energy resiliency for LIDAC households. The team intends to measure success in improving energy resiliency by tracking the frequency and duration of power disruptions in LIDAC communities served by SFA before and after the implementation of the ESS. The team estimates more than 21,000 LIDAC low-income households will derives some benefits from New Mexico’s Solar for All program.  

As part of its outreach efforts, the Project Team will collaborate with CBOs and LIDAC households in the planning, installation, and follow-up phases of the project. This will include group listening sessions as well as one-on-one meetings with geographically diverse CBOs and government organizations covering each of the state’s investor-owned utility territories, as well as those serving tribes. These listening sessions will be crucial to understanding potential barriers to community solar adoption and allow residents to understand the benefits of solar energy.