SENATE MEMORIAL 10

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Harold Pope

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO DESIGN A PILOT PROJECT TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC, SAFETY AND GRID IMPACTS OF INSTALLING PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATION DEVICES IN LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS.

 

     WHEREAS, the Energy Transition Act established New Mexico as a national leader in clean energy, and the renewable energy portfolio standard requires the energy portfolio of an electric public utility to be composed of fifty percent renewable energy by 2030 and eighty percent by 2040 and to achieve one hundred percent carbon neutrality by 2045; and

     WHEREAS, despite this progress, many low-income New Mexico residents continue to face significant energy insecurity, with many households below the federal poverty line spending sixteen to thirty percent of their income on energy costs, compared to the state average of just three percent; and

     WHEREAS, traditional rooftop solar installations remain inaccessible to the majority of Americans, including renters, apartment dwellers and households that cannot afford the high upfront investment or do not qualify for traditional financing; and

     WHEREAS, plug-in or balcony solar systems, which are small-scale, portable solar generation devices that plug directly into a standard wall outlet, offer a potential solution to bridge this gap by eliminating soft costs of rooftop installation companies, such as marketing, installation labor, permitting, overhead and profit, which comprise fifty to sixty-five percent of the costs of traditional rooftop arrays; and

     WHEREAS, a controlled pilot project is a supportive step to gather real-world data in New Mexico on the grid interaction and economic benefit of portable solar generation devices in preparation for wider legislative or regulatory frameworks being established;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the energy, minerals and natural resources department be requested to convene a working group composed of one or more electric utilities or electric service providers operating within or serving the state and one or more nonprofit or mission-driven organizations that demonstrate experience in equitable clean energy deployment, community-based engagement with low-income households and the development or implementation to design a portable solar pilot project; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the energy, minerals and natural resources department be requested to select nonprofit or mission-driven organizations to participate in the working group that demonstrate a commitment to serving renters and low-income households, the capacity to conduct participant education and outreach and the technical ability to support safe installation, monitoring and evaluation of portable solar generation devices; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to design a portable solar pilot project that allows for the installation of portable solar generation devices on the rooftops or balconies of between five and ten low-income households within the service territories of participating electric public utilities, including where a generation and transmission cooperative coordinates or supports implementation in partnership with its member utilities, and the primary objectives of the project be to:

          A. quantify the direct economic benefits to participants, specifically analyzing the monthly reduction in energy costs for low-income households; and

          B. assess the impact of these distributed micro-generators on participating utilities' local distribution to inform future legislation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to present its findings and recommendations to the interim legislative committee dealing with energy and natural resources by November 1, 2026; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of energy, minerals and natural resources.

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