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- Spark Alerts: March 25, 2025
Spark Alerts: March 25, 2025
The latest solar news and program policy updates at your fingertips
Note: This is a proof of concept for Spark Alerts, focusing on solar news and policy updates in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. News has been backdated through Monday, March 17. Please help us improve by sharing your feedback with us!
📰 Market & Development News
Arizona
3/20- Canadian Solar announced a partnership with Strata Clean Energy to build a 100-MW battery project in Maricopa County.
3/17- The AZ Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee held a public hearing on Longroad Energy’s Agua Fria Solar and Gen-Tie project.
Colorado
3/21- A proposed 250-MW project by RWE has hit a snag after Routt County passed a new, more stringent ordinance days after the facility’s initial application.
3/20- KC Becker, a former Colorado House Speaker, was selected to lead the Colorado Solar and Storage Association.
3/20- Xcel Energy and Itron, Inc are collaborating with Tesla on an advanced VPP in Colorado.
3/19- Seventy-six CO organizations and officials asked Governor Jared Polis to veto a bill which would reclassify nuclear power as “clean energy”, arguing the technology is risky and would divert funding from renewables.
New Mexico
3/22- Pluma LLC is pursuing permits on a 5-MW solar farm in Grant County, marking the county’s first community solar project. Pluma is also building projects in Hidalgo and Doña Ana counties.
3/20- Bernalillo County released an update to its stormwater management guidance for solar projects, which is open to comments for 30 days.
Texas
3/23- Leeward Renewable Energy secured $280 million in financing for a 200-MW project in Frio County.
3/20- A newly released ERCOT nodal market outlook report highlights a projected shift towards renewable energy and battery storage.
3/18- Meta signed a third PPA with RWE, this time for 100% of the output from a 200-MW project in Bastrop County.
3/18- Invenergy began commercial operations on a 300-MW project in Lamar and Red River Counties, including VPPA deals with Honda and Tesla.
3/18- Module manufacturer T1 (formerly Freyr) will build a 5GW solar cell plant in Austin.
3/18- El Paso Electric unveiled a 10-MW solar facility in San Elizario.
3/17- Origis Energy secured $415 in financing for its 145-MW Swift Air solar project in Ector County.
📢 Policy & Programs
Arizona
Among other changes, deducts solar purchases from school district tax base.
Introduced in House 1/23, passed House 33-27 on 2/25.
Introduced in Senate 2/25.
Senate Financial Committee recommended passage 5-3 on 3/10.
UPDATE- Senate Financial Committee recommended passage 7-3 on 3/18.
Deducts certain retail transactions from income tax base, including energy purchased from qualified solar retailers.
Introduced in House 1/23, passed House 32-22-1 on 2/17.
Introduced in Senate 2/25. Financial Committee recommended passage 7-0 on 3/10.
UPDATE- Placed on Senate calendar 3/17.
Colorado
HB1040- Adding Nuclear Energy as a Clean Energy Resource
Updates state definition of “clean energy” to include nuclear generation.
Introduced in House 1/8, passed House 43-18 on 2/25.
Introduced in Senate 2/25, passed Senate 29-5 on 3/14.
UPDATE- Signed by Speaker of the House 3/24.
New Mexico
HB159- Energy Project Siting & Military Bases
Requires renewable developers who submit a notice of construction to the FAA to also notify the chair of the Military Base Planning Commission.
Introduced in House 1/28, passed House 64-0 on 3/17.
UPDATE- Moved to Senate 3/17, passed Senate 41-0 on 3/20.
HB128- NMFA Local Solar Access Fund
Creates a local solar grant program through the New Mexico Finance Authority.
Introduced in House 1/21, passed House 43-22 on 3/1.
UPDATE- Moved to Senate 3/1, passed Senate 24-16 on 3/20.
Streamlines eligibility criteria for solar tax credits, prevents claiming of both the solar market development tax credit and the sustainable building corporate income tax credit.
Introduced in House 1/29, passed House 30-4-5-3 on 2/15.
UPDATE- Moved to Senate 2/17, passed Senate with amendments 50-11-0-8 on 3/17.
Texas
Mandates that 50% of new power plant capacity be sourced from capacity other than battery storage.
Introduced in Senate 2/3
UPDATE- Passed Senate 31-0, moved to House.
HB3229/SB2659- Renewable Recycling
Lays out regulations and requirements for recycling of renewable system components.
Filed in House 2/24, Senate 3/13.
UPDATE- First House reading 3/20, public hearing TBH 3/27.
HB3228/SB2657- Solar Recycling
Mandates inclusion of certain recycling/disposal provisions in wind and solar lease agreements.
Filed in House 2/24, Senate 3/13
UPDATE- First House reading 3/20, public hearing TBH 3/26.
Imposes a franchise tax on solar/wind energy producers with a capacity over 1MW, equal to the amount of the project’s total federal benefits.
Filed in House 2/19.
UPDATE- First reading 3/20, referred to Ways & Means Committee.
HB3056- Wind/Solar Adjacent Property
A municipality or county by order shall prohibit the installation of a wind or solar power facility within 500 yards of property owned by a different person unless the owner or operator of the proposed facility obtains written consent from each owner of said adjacent property.
Filed in House 2/19.
UPDATE- First reading 3/20, referred to State Affairs Committee.
Establishes a study by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on solar and wind’s environmental, economic, and infrastructure implications.
Filed in House 2/25.
UPDATE- First reading 3/20, referred to State Affairs Committee.
Exempts certain transactions, including sale or lease of a solar property, from regulation by the TX Real Estate Commission.
Filed in House 2/3, filed in Senate 2/7.
UPDATE- Bill reported favorably in Senate committee 3/19.
Exempts certain transactions, including sale or lease of a solar property, from regulation by the TX Real Estate Commission.
Filed in House 2/3, filed in Senate 2/7.
Sent to House Licensing Committee 3/14.
UPDATE- Senate Commerce Committee recommended passage on 3/19.
HB3229/SB2659- Renewable Recycling
Lays out regulations and requirements for recycling of renewable system components.
Filed in House 3/4, Senate 3/13.
UPDATE- First reading in House 3/20, referred to Environmental Committee.
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