PNM grid congestion locks thousands of New Mexico residents out of solar www.abqjournal.com/2489427/pnm-grid-congestion-locks-thousan…
When Dan and Gary Monaghan moved into their expansive West Side home in September 2020, the brothers planned to immediately go solar…They immediately signed up with Tesla to install solar panels on their 3,294-square-foot home, just north of the petroglyphs, including a Tesla “Powerwall” battery storage system to extend availability of their self-generated electricity around the clock…
Public Service Company of New Mexico sent them a letter saying the utility’s substation electric-feeder line into their neighborhood was “full,” meaning neither the Monaghans nor any of their neighbors in the 138-home community could connect new solar systems to the grid…That means, unless a business or homeowner wants to completely disconnect from the grid — meaning entirely removing the PNM meter to go it on their own — nobody in the congested communities can get solar…
A total of 19 communities in PNM’s service territory…are now labeled as “red zones”…That represents nearly 4% of all the utility’s feeder lines, which translates to about 4% of PNM’s total customer base.
A total of 19 communities in PNM’s service territory…are now labeled as “red zones”…That represents nearly 4% of all the utility’s feeder lines, which translates to about 4% of PNM’s total customer base.
So, let me understand that means that 96% are still eligible to go solar? I’d take those odds.
And if they ever get around to approving the final Build Back Better bill New Mexico will get several million dollars more to improve their power grid.
And if they ever get around to approving the final Build Back Better bill New Mexico will get several million dollars more to improve their power grid.
Yes, that will help. From the article:
"In addition, while new regulations and technology will help alleviate the current situation, a comprehensive solution for congested feeder lines requires significant upgrades to the grid. And that, in turn, raises questions about who will pay for those investments, which could cost tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars.
“In the meantime, the problem will likely grow worse, given today’s rapidly expanding demand for customer-cited solar, or ‘distributed generation,’ in New Mexico and elsewhere, said Jim DesJardins, executive director of the New Mexico Renewable Energy Industry Association…”