News

New Mexico's first Community Solar Project is online. The Cuidando Los Niños community solar project includes more than 14,000 solar panels and will produce 5MW, enough to offset the energy usage of 2,000 homes.  REIA-NM Board President and Director of Commercial Solar Development at Affordable Solar, Dylan Connelly, had this to say about the historic event: 

“We can have low cost, clean energy available for every household in New Mexico, regardless of their income, it’s no longer a rich person’s game. It’s no longer a privileged way to show that you’re supporting climate or climate change [...] These projects, people get to subscribe, and it’s not only about the environmental benefits that we’re providing by having a solar project here, it’s also about real savings for households in need" Watch the coverage here. 

After months of opposition, public hearings, and hours of testimony, the commissioners voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve the controversial project.

According to Joshua Mayer, senior development manager for The AES Corporation, a REIA-NM member and the developer behind Rancho Viejo, this is “an essential step toward delivering safe, reliable, and affordable energy to the local grid as energy demand continues to rise, while directly advancing New Mexico’s clean energy goals.”

Read the full article for statements from proponents, opposition, commissioners and more. 

The New Mexico Climate Investment Center (NMCIC) is excited to announce the launch of a Small Loan Program for small businesses and nonprofits serving New Mexico. The program will provide affordable financing in the form of individual loans of up to $250,000 to help fund energy efficiency, clean energy, electrification, and other emissions-reducing projects.

NMCIC is New Mexico’s first “green bank”, an investment fund created to accelerate the state’s transition to clean energy and climate resilience. Its mission is to reduce energy burdens and greenhouse gas emissions while fostering economic prosperity and equity for communities across New Mexico. In addition to the Small Loan Program, NMCIC offers bridge financing, permanent, construction, and C-PACE loans for projects that reduce GHG emissions, increase energy or water efficiency, lower energy costs, and bring benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Please visit the NMCIC website for more information and to apply for financing through the online intake form. Application deadline is August 31, 2025. 

The U.S. battery supply chain just got a little stronger.

LG Energy Solution, a division of the major Korean battery manufacturer, is now producing battery cells for grid-scale energy storage at a site in Holland, Michigan.

The company spent $1.4 billion to expand the factory, and the investment onshores production of a popular battery chemistry that had been almost exclusively made in China, amid tariff and tax policy uncertainty.

Read more here. 

This week, SEIA and Wood Mackenzie released the Solar Market Insight Report for Q1 of 2025.

The report finds that solar added 10.8 GW of new electricity generating capacity and 8.6 GW of new solar module manufacturing capacity in Q1. Solar and storage accounted for 82% of all new generating capacity added to the grid and communities added 8 new or expanded factories in Texas, Ohio, Arizona, and South Carolina while American solar cell production capacity doubled.

According to SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper, “Solar and storage continue to dominate America’s energy economy, adding more new capacity to the grid than any technology using increasingly American-made equipment... But our success is at risk. If Congress fails to fix the legislation passed by the House – which would render the energy tax incentives unusable – lawmakers will trigger a dangerous energy shortage that will raise our electric bills and stop America’s manufacturing boom in its tracks."

Read more highlights and access the full report here.