2024 Presentations
What is Community Solar? Current Opportunities for New Mexico Tribal Nations
Pilar Thomas, Quarles & Brady LLP
Exploring the Potential of Tribal Community Solar Initiatives: unlocking economic growth, empowering energy sovereignty, environmental benefits, navigating federal tax incentives.
Picuris Pueblo’s Solar Success
Behind the scenes of Picuris Pueblo’s solar journey, from initial motivation to lessons learned. We’ll learn the driving forces behind these endeavors, the decision-making processes involved, and the wide-ranging benefits brought to the Pueblo.
Pre-development & Tribal Internal Decision-making
Salina Derichsweiler, SunShare
A comprehensive overview of community solar, beginning with an exploration of its initial planning phases, covering aspects such as site selection, project size and acreage, technical and infrastructure limitations, interconnection pre-applications, deal structure, ownership models, and an overview of the project process and timelines. Additionally, participants will gain insight into the subscription opportunities for community solar, including the chance to subscribe to gardens resulting from the 2022 RFP. Furthermore, the concept of agrivoltaics will be introduced, offering an innovative approach that combines agriculture with solar energy generation.
Choosing the Right Partner (Panel Discussion)
Selecting the right business partners is essential for the success of any project. In this panel, you’ll gather insights from a diverse range of solar companies to understand their offerings and advance your Tribe’s objectives.
Panelists:
Salina Derichsweiler, SunShare
Dylan Connelly, Affordable Solar
Simon Wood, GRID Alternative
Affordable Solar
GRID Alternatives
Working with Electric Utility: PNM
Cathy Newby, Director, Tribal Government & Customer Engagement
Alaric Babej, Principal, Customer Energy Solutions
Demystifying the interconnection process to understand the steps involved in connecting renewable energy systems to the grid, including how developers manage the interconnection process and how to utilize net metering.
Technical Assistance Resources
James Jensen, Department of Energy, Office of Indian Energy
Reviewing the technical assistance and resources offered by the Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy.
Overview of Current Funding Opportunities
Pilar Thomas, Quarles & Brady LLP
Recognizing the wide range of federal funding sources accessible and comprehending how Tribes can strategically position themselves to maximize current funding prospects.