New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 17 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND UTILITY SERVICES
Chapter 9 - ELECTRIC SERVICES
Part 573 - COMMUNITY SOLAR
Section 17.9.573.20 - COMMUNITY SOLAR BILL CREDIT RATE

A. In calculating the solar bill credit rate, the utility shall calculate the total aggregate retail rate on a per-customer-class basis, less the commission-approved distribution cost components, and identify all proposed rules, fees and other charges converted to a kilowatt-hour rate, including fuel and power cost adjustments, the value of renewable energy attributes and other charges of a qualifying utility's effective rate schedule applicable to a given customer rate class, but does not include charges described on a qualifying utility's rate schedule as minimum monthly charges, including customer or service availability charges, energy efficiency program riders or other charges not related to a qualifying utility's power production, transmission or distribution functions, as approved by the commission, franchise fees and tax charges on utility bills;

B. The total aggregate retail rate is the total amount of a qualifying utility's demand, energy and other charges converted to a kilowatt-hour rate, including fuel and power cost adjustments, the value of renewable energy attributes and other charges of a qualifying utility's effective rate schedule applicable to a given customer rate class, but does not include charges described on a qualifying utility's rate schedule as minimum monthly charges, including customer or service availability charges, energy efficiency program riders or other charges not related to a qualifying utility's power production, transmission or distribution functions, as approved by the commission, franchise fees and tax charges on utility bills. The utility's tariff for the bill credit shall include a table specifying the components of the total aggregate retail rate, the value of the renewable energy attributes and the distribution costs to be subtracted.

C. The utility shall base its distribution cost calculation upon its most recently commission-approved cost-of-service study indexed to current value.

D. The utility shall not subtract any costs of transmission from the solar bill credit rate calculation.

E. The utility shall initially value the environmental attributes of renewable energy certificates (RECs) at the utility's average cost of meeting its renewable portfolio standard requirement. During the utility's next base rate case, the Commission will consider whether to adopt a replacement methodology to determine the net present value of the environmental attributes of RECs necessary to reach the mandated eighty-percent renewable portfolio standard by 2040, including full environmental and distribution benefits.