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HB 111: SHARED RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITY OPERATIONS

An Act Relating To Utilities; Providing For Shared Renewable Energy Facilities To Qualify As Distributed Generation Facilities; Requiring Investor-owned Utilities To Allow Construction, Connection And Operation Of Shared Renewable Energy Facilities Within Their Operating Territories.

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MOD HB 111
SHARED RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITY OPERATIONS

Legislative URL:
HB 111 on nmlegis.gov
Emergency Clause:
No
Germane:
N/A
Location:
HEENC
Action:
HPREF [3] HEENC/HBEC-HEENC API.
Issue(s):

Companion Bills

Bills:
PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE SHARED RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITY OPERATIONS

Related Legislators

Bill Sponsor:

Related Documents

Downloads:
Introduced
Fiscal Impact Report
Summary

This bill declares that:

  • individuals should be able to obtain electricity from local, renewable energy distributed generation facilities, regardless of differences in income, owner or renter status or specific locale;
  • local communities benefit from the deployment of renewable energy, including shared distributed generation facilities; and
  • it is in the public interest to allow broad participation in renewable energy distributed generation facilities, including shared renewable energy facilities, by New Mexico residents.

 

The bill’s stated purpose is that the legislature enable the development and deployment of shared

renewable energy facilities for the following purposes:

  • to allow renters and low- to moderate-income retail electric customers to own interests in shared renewable energy facilities;

(2)    to allow interests in shared renewable energy facilities to be portable and transferable;

(3)    to facilitate market entry for all potential subscribers, while prioritizing those persons most sensitive to market barriers; and

  • to encourage developers to allow participation by renters and low- to moderate-income retail electric customers.

 

A “shared renewable energy facility” is defined as a renewable energy distributed generation facility that provides for the purchase of one or more subscription shares in the facility, entitling the purchaser to a percentage of the energy generated by the facility.

 

The bill provides protections for shared renewable energy facilities from treatment as public utilities subject to regulation by the PRC and the provisions of the Public Utility Act, and further provides that the shared renewable energy facility may be owned by a customer of a public utility or a third party. The public utility may acquire renewable energy certificates from the owner of the shared renewable energy facility or from a third party at rates established in the utility’s renewable procurement plan.

 

Finally, a new section of the Rural Electric Cooperative Act is enacted providing that cooperatives may allow the construction, connection and operation of shared renewable energy facilities within their operating territories.

 

A potential benefit of this bill might be that it would encourage increased production of renewable energy.