Cut your business’s energy costs with solar.
Solar, batteries and solar carports for businesses, farms, nonprofits and public buildings in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. Designed and installed by a licensed local team.
- NM Electrical Contractor #387291
- NABCEP PV Installation Professional
- REC Certified Solar Professional
The 30% federal credit has a deadline.
A business system may qualify for up to 30% if it is placed in service by December 31, 2027. Equipment sourcing rules apply, and your CPA confirms eligibility.
Swipe sideways to see the whole timeline.
Built for the way your business uses power.
Your rate schedule decides what solar saves.
Small business
No demand charge. Every solar kWh you use on site saves the full energy rate.
- Who it’s for
- Businesses under 50 kW on-peak, or under 15,000 kWh a month, in at least 10 of the last 12 months.
- Energy price
- About 11.7¢ per kWh June to August and 9.3¢ September to May, plus PNM’s fuel charge.
- Time of day
- The same price at any hour, so when you use solar doesn’t change what it saves.
- Monthly charge
- $23.61 per bill. Solar doesn’t change it.
Demand-charge business
Applies once a business reaches 50 kW on-peak or 15,000 kWh in 3 of the last 12 months (businesses with very uneven use go on Schedule 3C). Most of the bill is demand: $27 to $37 for each kW of your highest on-peak use each month, and billed demand is never less than half your highest peak of the past 11 months.
Over 10 kW-AC
Extra power is paid each month at PNM’s Rate 12, which is based on wholesale prices from the same month a year earlier. In the current table that is 0 to about 5.5¢ per kWh, so these systems are sized to what you use.
10 kW-AC and under
Extra power becomes a kWh credit on your next bill. Credits build up, never expire and lower later bills. If you close the account, PNM pays for any credits left at Rate 12.
Solar is worth most when it replaces power you buy
On Schedule 2A, a kWh you use, or bank as a credit on a system 10 kW-AC and under, saves the energy rate plus the fuel charge. Extra power from a larger system is paid at Rate 12, which is much lower.
On Schedule 3B the energy part is small, so most of the savings come from lowering your peak.
Cents per kWh. On-site and credit values include PNM’s fuel charge at late-2025 levels; customer charges, riders and taxes are not included. A credit is worth what that kWh costs in the month you use it. Sources: PNM Schedules 2A and 3B (effective April 1, 2026), Rate 12 (effective March 1, 2026) and PNM’s solar interconnection page.
How the numbers come together.
Federal credit Up to 30%
For systems in service by Dec 31, 2027. Batteries can qualify after that.
Depreciation 100% bonus
Bonus depreciation is available for qualifying business property. Ask your CPA.
NM solar tax credit 10%, up to $6,000
Per taxpayer, for systems installed through 2031, while the state’s yearly cap lasts.
Gross receipts tax Deduction
The sale and installation of a solar system on the property it serves qualifies for a gross receipts tax deduction.
Ways to pay
The lowest total cost. SBA 504 loans can fund energy projects.
You own the systemUp to 100% financing over up to 30 years, repaid through a property assessment. Available in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
For property ownersNonprofits, schools, tribes and local governments receive the federal credit as a payment.
Nonprofits + publicA third party owns the system and you buy its power. Allowed in New Mexico for a system on your property sized to your use.
A third party owns itGeneral information, not tax advice. Credit amounts, depreciation and eligibility depend on your business; your CPA confirms what applies.
Shade that makes power.
Average cabin air after one hour on hot days in Tempe, Arizona (UC San Diego and Arizona State University study, 2018).
Carports are engineered structures. New Mexico requires a building license that covers canopies (GB-98 or GS-2) as well as an electrical license.
Trim demand charges. Keep critical loads on.
- Discharges during the evening on-peak hours that set demand charges
- Can keep refrigeration, servers or registers running in an outage when designed for backup
- Batteries can still earn the federal credit after 2027
Solar at work for businesses like yours.
- 2 solar carports, 444 panels
- 56 customer parking spaces shaded
- 258 kW system
- Sized for 100% of the facility’s use
- About 500 kW on the roof
- Part of the dealer’s EV plans
- 4 solar + battery microgrids (3 running in Aug 2026)
- About 200 kW solar, 560 kWh battery
- 47 kW on the roof
- Zero down, through a nonprofit financier
- 314 kW
- $520,000+ projected over 20 years
- 49.5 kW ground mount
- About 99% of the hospital’s use
- Solar on 4 schools
- Bills expected to drop 95%, about a 7-year payback
- 65 rooftops, 5.5 MW in all
- About $600,000 first-year savings (estimated)
The situation
A family restaurant with a sunny parking lot and long, hot summers.
What they did
Built solar carports over customer parking instead of using the roof.
The result
About $25,000 a year in expected savings plus shaded parking.
Carports turn a hot lot into shade. In a study of cars parked on hot days, the ones in shade were about 16°F cooler inside after an hour.
The situation
Canning and production ran up about $6,000 a month in electricity.
What they did
Put a 258 kW system on the canning facility.
The result
The co-founder said they save about $200 a day, some months the bill is negative, and he expected payback in under five years.
Daytime production lines up with the hours solar produces.
The situation
Large showroom and service buildings, with electric vehicles part of the dealer’s plans.
What they did
Rooftop solar at three of its dealerships.
The result
61% of energy costs offset at the largest store, and 62% and about 54% at the other two.
Adding EV chargers can push a PNM business onto a demand-charge rate. Solar plus a battery helps manage that.
The situation
More than 10 outages in six months. One day without power can cost about $500,000 in spoiled vaccines and medicines.
What they did
A developer financed and built the systems; the centers pay through energy services agreements and can buy them after five years.
The result
The clinics keep running when the grid goes down.
Solar alone shuts off when the grid goes down. A battery is what keeps critical loads running.
The situation
A congregation that wanted lower bills without spending its reserves.
What they did
Financed with zero down through a nonprofit solar financier, sized for 100% of the church’s use.
The result
About $14,000 a year expected, with the savings going toward the church’s outreach.
Churches and nonprofits can receive the federal credit as a direct IRS payment if the system is in service by Dec 31, 2027.
The situation
A working dairy in the desert.
What they did
Installed a 314 kW system, with a USDA grant covering 25% of the cost.
The result
Up to half its grid power replaced, installed without slowing the dairy down.
Under USDA REAP rules from October 2026, a solar project applies after it has run for at least 12 months, and ground-mounted solar on cropland is not eligible.
The situation
A small-business owner weighing a large up-front cost.
What they did
A ground-mounted array beside the hospital, using the federal credit, depreciation and a state grant available at the time.
The result
Four years in, the owner said break-even dropped from 7 years to 5.
New Mexico incentives differ from the ones this owner used. Your CPA confirms what applies to your business.
The situation
A public district with no tax bill to use a credit against.
What they did
Filed for elective pay with its auditor, its first federal tax return.
The result
Received $1.038 million in federal credits and planned solar for three more schools.
Schools, local governments and tribes can use the same direct-pay path here.
The situation
Large roofs over buildings that use little electricity.
What they did
Rooftop solar across 65 storage facilities.
The result
Each site expected to cover most or all of its own use.
Big roof, small load: the kind of building that can cover most of its own use.
From your bills to a working system.
- 1Send your bills
12 months of PNM bills show your rate, your demand and your use.
- 2Site visit
Roof, electrical service and space for carports or ground mounts.
- 3Design + proposal
System size, savings estimate and an incentive summary for your CPA.
- 4Permits + PNM
Building and electrical permits and PNM’s interconnection review.
- 5Install + turn on
Installation, inspections and PNM’s approval to operate.
Tell us about your building.
Use the free estimate form and note that it’s for your business. We’ll review your bills, check your PNM rate and call you to set up a site visit.
Good to have ready
- 12 months of PNM bills (PDF or photos)
- The site address, and whether you own or lease the building
- What you’re interested in: solar, a battery, carports or EV charging
- When you’d like the system running
For the federal credit, solar has to be in service by December 31, 2027, so earlier is better.