Developers of a locally owned community solar project told the Roswell City Council that construction is nearly complete on a 2.6‑megawatt, 15‑acre solar farm north of the Roswell Bypass and Highway 285.

The project — developed by Roswell contractor Ben Thomas with partner Senergy and managed for customer enrollment by Power Market — is intended to serve local households and small businesses through New Mexico’s Community Solar Act. Project leaders asked the city to approve a bilingual letter to be sent from the mayor’s office to encourage resident enrollment. Power Market said that with city outreach the project could sign up hundreds of customers before the end of the year.

Nut graf: Under the state program, subscribers earn bill credits based on their share of the array’s output. Project managers said the Roswell site reserves 50% of capacity for income‑qualified households, exceeding the state’s minimum 30% requirement for low‑income allocation.

Power Market’s director of community energy said the farm is intended to generate enough energy to serve “hundreds of homes and small businesses” and that construction materials were largely made in the United States. He explained the savings structure: qualifying low‑income families may realize up to a 30% credit on their Excel electric bills (the presenter used 80% of area median income as the qualifying threshold in his example), while other customers can save up to about 10% under the subscription model. All savings are credited on the utility bill; customers do not need rooftop panels or equipment.

Council questions addressed jurisdictional and interconnection issues: the site is outside city limits on county land and interconnection is handled through Xcel Energy. Project leaders said the Public Regulation Commission oversees the program statewide and that projects must meet PRC rules for consumer protections and eligibility. City staff and councilors asked for clarity on how the project would interact with Excel’s grid and whether the project would affect utility operations; presenters said energy fed to the grid reduces the electricity the utility must buy elsewhere and that grid management handles output variability.

Ending: Councilors asked staff to consider the request; presenters said they would return with materials and that Power Market would handle design and mailing of the proposed bilingual outreach under city review.