FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 22, 2024

Inflation Reduction Act Delivers $156M in Solar for All Funds for New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that New Mexico was awarded $156,120,000 in funding through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar For All program. The competition, created by President Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, seeks to enable low-income and disadvantaged households across America to access the benefits of low-cost, clean solar energy—benefits that include home energy savings, energy resilience, improved air quality, wealth building, and quality jobs.

New Mexico was one of 50 states and territories that applied for funding through the program. A complete list of recipients of Solar For All awards can be found here.

“With the fires, drought and heat that New Mexico is experiencing because of the global climate crisis, there is real hope in being awarded $156 million dollars to superpower the Community Solar Program. The federal Solar for All funding will allow State Energy Office to prioritize energy for unelectrified homes and families especially in our most rural and underserved communities all while reducing our contribution to climate change,” said Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director.

The federal climate law authorized $7 billion in funding for the program, but by last year’s deadline for applications, EPA had received requests totaling more than $38 billion.

NM Program Description from EPA Website
To help overcome existing barriers to widespread adoption of distributed solar generation, the State of New Mexico, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) and its coalition partners (Project Team) will expand access to shared solar beyond the confines of the existing state statutorily defined community solar program. The program will bring the most isolated and off-grid residents (e.g., unelectrified homes) online and support grid resilience with on-site solar. The program is designed to meet low-income and disadvantaged communities, both owners and renters, where they are with direct grants and financing options for solar projects that decrease energy burden through household annual electric bill savings. To maximize the reach and impact of the program, the Project Team will leverage New Mexico’s existing programs and work with workforce development providers, community-based organizations, and government partners that understand and represent New Mexico’s diverse, majority-minority population.

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