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PNM expects almost a quarter of its customers will have rooftop solar by 2040
Robert Marquez, owner of R King Eco-Bin Cleaning, cleans solar panels on the rooftop of a home in Corrales on Monday. His establishment, which launched in mid-March, also incorporated solar panel cleaning services.
Even though Public Service Company of New Mexico is receiving fewer rooftop solar applications than recent years, the utility said it expects nearly a quarter of its customers will have rooftop solar panels in about 15 years.
Omni Warner, PNM director of distribution engineering, explained this at a workshop held by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission on Tuesday, where investor-owned utilities were discussing electric grid modernization with the PRC.
PNM expects a boost in rooftop solar users over the next 17 years, with an estimated 23% of PNM customers having rooftop solar by 2040.
That would mark a significant increase in the share of PNM customers with solar panels. Warner said 41,160 PNM customers currently have rooftop solar — about 8% of the utility’s customer base. Residential interconnections make up 40,050 of that rooftop solar and the other 1,104 setups are for commercial use, according to PNM data.
Warner estimated the utility currently generates around 250 megawatts of solar power behind-the-meter. He said the anticipated 2040 rooftop solar boost would increase that to about 800 megawatts.
Arthur O’Donnell, PRC director of policy administration, said these PNM rooftop solar predictions stick out to him, especially in a state “that has always lagged in terms of economic development.” He said he hopes the process can be harnessed to its full potential.
“It’s not just allowing people to put rooftop solar and interconnecting them, but to find out what values that can bring to the utility system,” he said.
The expected boost in solar power comes even as the number of rooftop solar applications to PNM is trending downward this year compared to how many applications people submitted the last two years, according to data from PNM.
An increase in solar power generation would help the utility comply with the Energy Transition Act, which requires PNM and other investor-owned utilities in the state achieve 80% renewable energy by 2040 and be 100% carbon-free by 2045. PNM is striving to be emissions-free early, by 2040.
A law passed in 2021 will also help increase the amount of solar energy PNM is transmitting, but through small solar farms rather than rooftop solar. Warner said community solar will add 125 megawatts to the utility’s distribution system.
