New Mexico based Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (Kit Carson) and Florida based Guzman Renewable Energy Partners (GREP), an affiliate of Guzman Energy Group, announced that, in addition to serving as its wholesale energy supplier, GREP will also serve as the exclusive solar energy partner to Kit Carson, working toward enabling the Northern New Mexico counties of Taos, Colfax and Rio Arriba to achieve summer solar energy independence by 2022. 

Working in partnership, Kit Carson and GREP will undertake a multi-year effort to achieve the installation of up to 30 megawatts of renewable capacity in the service area, using a combination of solar capacity and battery storage technology. This initiative is expected to make the territory and its 30,000 members one of the "greenest" cooperatives in the country. 

"This is a huge win for our community and for our environment here in the Enchanted Circle. This is the second step in our partnership with Guzman and one that helps us continue to look to the future. This plan will allow our community to be greener and much more competitive in attracting businesses and jobs," stated Luis Reyes, Chief Executive Officer of Kit Carson. 

"Guzman promised from the beginning to be a new kind of energy partner. What better way to show this, as well as our commitment to the community and New Mexico more broadly, than to work with Kit Carson to support their renewable energy goals," said Jeffrey Heit, Managing Director of Guzman Energy. 

In the coming weeks, GREP will be evaluating the most competitive approach to developing the projects, ensuring the greatest benefit to the community both in the long-term cost of power and the creation of local jobs.

The solar deal follows the agreement signed in July 2016 between Kit Carson and GREP, in which GREP became the exclusive supplier of power to the territory. That agreement is expected to save the co-op's 30,000 members more than $50 million over the next 10 years.

Kit Carson | www.kitcarson.com

Guzman Renewable Energy Partners | www.guzmanenergy.com