New Mexico Interconnection Rules Order
In November, 2022, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission issued a ruling on interconnection rules, which govern how clean energy resources can connect to the grid. The rules reflect national best practices for energy storage interconnection and smart inverter adoption.
One of the most important developments in the new rules is that they now recognize a class of projects called non- and limited-export projects, in which controls are used to limit whether or how much electricity is sent from the DER system to the grid. Recognizing and enabling this capability is a key part of capturing the benefits of energy storage in particular. New Mexico became the first state in the nation to adopt a screen to evaluate the impacts of the “inadvertent export,” that can occur in export controlled systems under certain conditions.
Some of the notable changes include:
- Establishing a clear timeline for the use of smart inverters in New Mexico,
- Improving the interconnection process for energy storage and solar-plus-storage by establishing new review processes for non- and limited-export projects,
- Increasing public transparency and data on grid conditions and the interconnection process,
- Streamlining interconnection review, and allowing larger projects to qualify for simplified and fast track review, while ensuring grid safety and reliability,
- And establishing a pathway for equitable distribution of grid upgrade costs.