Rural Electric Cooperatives
Rebates
Many of New Mexico’s Rural Electric Co-ops receive their electricity and energy efficiency rebates from Tri-State. This list of rebates for their residential and commercial customers comes from the Socorro Electric Co-op website, but other NM co-ops may have similar rebates. Check with your co-op before you make purchases and begin your project.
Rural Electric Co-ops and Solar
Most of New Mexico’s Co-ops obtain their electricity from Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which limits the amount of power that individual distribution co-ops can generate themselves to 5%. This is why most co-ops discourage their members from putting solar on their roofs. Tri-State is expanding its renewable portfolio (mostly in Colorado) as it shuts down some coal plants (such as Escalante in New Mexico) and argues that its utility-scale solar will be cheaper than if New Mexico co-ops buy out their contracts with Tri-State and produce their own solar energy or buy renewable electricity from another supplier such as Kit Carson Electric Co-op has done.
Co-ops in other states including Colorado’s United Power, which accounts for 20% of Tri-State’s market, have signaled their intent to buy out their contracts. The exit fee cost is up before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
According to Solar United Neighbors, many co-op members do not realize that they own their co-op and decisions are left to traditionally very conservative boards who are happy to “rely on centrally-generated coal-fired power and have little interest in distributed renewable energy.” Their report offers a guide to show what members can do to boost solar.
US Cooperative Solar generation and distribution Map.