InClime is delighted to announce the overwhelming success of the recent RFP for the New Mexico Community Solar Program, with more than 1.7 GW of project proposals submitted for a 200 MW capacity carveout. We appreciate the interest in the program and the bidders’ dedication to submitting project proposals.

The results of the Community Solar RFP are available here.
Interconnection:

For more information on next steps for selected projects to begin the interconnection application process, please visit the Subscriber Organization page on the program website, scroll to the bottom, and click the plus next to Interconnection. Utilities will review interconnection applications in the order of the rank awarded to each project in the selection process based on the Program Administrator’s review of the bids.

Payment due for awarded capacity:  

Selected projects must pay a $2,500/MWac project fee within 30 days of receiving notification of the project’s selection, which is no later than June 21, 2023. The fee is paid directly to the state of New Mexico via ACH in the program portal and is non-refundable. If a selected project fails to pay the fee by June 21, 2023, it will forfeit its awarded capacity.

Waitlist Management: 

InClime will maintain a waitlist for each qualifying utility. The initial size of each waitlist is the same as the capacity allocation for each utility (EPE 30 MWac, SPS 45 MWac, PNM 125 MWac). If a selected project withdraws or fails to meet ongoing requirements, including payment of the project fee, the next project on the waitlist will be selected, provided sufficient capacity is vacated by the withdrawing project and co-location requirements are maintained.
Projects may downsize but will forfeit the incremental capacity, which will be offered to the next project on the waitlist. Subscriber Organizations must report updated project sizing to the Program Administrator as soon as they know of such information.

Please be aware that community solar projects cannot be co-located with other community solar projects in the program. Co-located projects may be placed on the waitlist but can be selected only if co-location is no longer a factor.

Subscriber Commitments:

Each selected project has 12 months from the first day of the month following the announcement of project selections to fulfill its subscriber acquisition commitments, meaning that subscriber commitments must be achieved by June 1, 2024. Subscriber Organizations must provide updated subscriber information for selected projects to the Program Administrator in the program portal on a monthly basis until commitments are met and quarterly thereafter for the life of the project.

Please note that subscriber agreements cannot be presented to or executed by subscribers until the Subscriber Organization has provided a Disclosure Form to the potential subscriber and allowed them a reasonable time to review the form’s disclosures and sign the form before entering into a subscription agreement. The Program Administrator anticipates releasing the Disclosure Form at the end of May 2023.

As a reminder, any commitments made during the bid process must be kept even after a project has been sold. All project sales and transfers must be reported to the Program Administrator as soon as they are known. Any program guidance regarding ownership to obtain procurement preference points must be maintained per published program materials.
Calculation of Scores:

Please note that adjustments have been made to the scoring methodology for specific bid questions concerning workforce development, existing and continued relationships, innovative commitments, and procurement preference bonus points. These updates were implemented to ensure alignment with the Community Solar Rule. For a recap of the previously announced scoring changes, please click here: https://csnewmexico.com/scoring-updates.
Thank you: 

Finally, we sincerely thank you for supporting this program and creating a competitive process. Stakeholder participation and bidder proposals were instrumental in creating a strong program foundation. We look forward to the successful development of projects.