Dive Brief:

• The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission voted to double the value of solar energy and triple certain other resources like geothermal in counting towards the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
• Environmentalists and renewable developers argue that the move made Wednesday cuts the amount of renewables that will be added to meet the RPS, which climbs to 20% by 2020.
• The PRC kept a “diversity” requirement that requires utilities to obtain certain percentages of technologies like wind and solar.

Dive Insight:

The 3-2 decision aims to lower the amount of money utilities spend on renewables and was supported by large industrial customers. The move is a blow to renewable development in New Mexico, which has excellent solar potential. It reflects the tension regulators feel between protecting ratepayers from rising electric bills and advancing various policy goals in favor of renewables.