New Mexico Community Solar Portfolio Reaches Major Milestone With Pino Ribbon Cutting

Pluma Construction, ForeFront Power, Standard Solar and Solstice celebrated a major milestone in New Mexico’s growing community solar market with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Pino solar site in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

The event, held May 13, highlighted progress on an eight-project, 48.4-megawatt community solar portfolio that developers say will expand clean energy access and reduce electricity costs for households across the state.

Project partners, local stakeholders and public officials attended the ceremony, which recognized collaboration among developers, operators and community organizations behind one of New Mexico’s earliest large-scale community solar portfolios.

Developed by New Mexico-based Pluma Construction with support from ForeFront Power, the projects were later acquired by Standard Solar, which will oversee long-term ownership and operations. Solstice is managing subscriber enrollment and customer acquisition efforts.

Seven of the eight solar projects are already complete, with the final project, Otero in Alamogordo, expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

Once fully completed, the portfolio is projected to generate approximately 103,287 megawatt-hours of electricity during its first year of operation.

Eight-Project Solar Portfolio Expands Renewable Energy Access

The portfolio includes projects located throughout New Mexico, including Las Vegas, Clovis, Reynolds, Las Cruces, Lordsburg and Silver City. All eight facilities use single-axis tracker systems designed to improve solar energy generation efficiency.

The largest facilities include the 7.6 MW Las Cruces project and the 7.5 MW Pino project in Las Vegas. According to project developers, the portfolio combines both State Land Trust and privately owned sites to broaden community solar access statewide.

Community solar programs allow residents and businesses to subscribe to shared solar facilities without installing rooftop solar panels. Subscribers typically receive credits on their electricity bills tied to energy generated by the projects.

Project developers said the portfolio represents an important step in New Mexico’s broader clean energy transition while helping deliver cost savings to local households.

Held at one of the operating solar sites, the ribbon-cutting ceremony emphasized regional collaboration and investment in renewable infrastructure.

ForeFront Power, which supported project development, said the initiative reflects increasing demand for distributed renewable energy systems throughout the Southwest.

The company has developed more than 1,900 commercial, industrial and community solar projects across the United States and Mexico totaling more than 1.6 gigawatts of renewable electricity generation capacity.

Standard Solar Expands Long-Term Renewable Energy Investments

Standard Solar said the New Mexico portfolio aligns with its broader strategy to expand ownership and operation of community solar assets nationwide.

The Rockville, Maryland-based company currently owns and operates more than 500 megawatts of solar capacity across the United States and continues investing in both solar and energy storage developments.

The company also indicated it is actively pursuing additional renewable energy acquisitions in New Mexico as demand for community solar continues to grow.

Pluma Construction, headquartered in New Mexico, has focused on developing both utility-scale and community solar projects throughout the state. The company said local partnerships and regional expertise have been central to advancing the projects from development through construction.

Solstice, now wholly owned by Perch Energy, continues leading subscriber enrollment efforts for the portfolio. The company specializes in connecting residential and commercial customers to community solar projects that provide electric bill savings without upfront installation costs.

According to project representatives, enrollment opportunities for eligible New Mexico households and businesses remain available as additional facilities become operational.

The final Otero project is expected to complete the statewide portfolio by late 2026, further increasing renewable generation capacity and community solar participation across New Mexico.

Originally reported by Business Wire.