Jeremy visits

The check from my 401k arrived and so did Pat and Jeremy. We talked about the electrical side of the installation at length. My concerns about the voltage drop for a run of over 100' to the house were addressed and look to be a non-problem, since we're running DC over that length rather than AC. My main electrical service panel will need to be upgraded from 125 amp to 200 amp, something I had been wanting to do anyway. We also want a provision for a (installed later) propane standby generator to be part of the package. Michelle and I had originally thought about putting in a hybrid solar system with a battery bank capable of powering a few key circuits during our frequent blackouts in the East Mountains. Pat advised against this b/c it degrades the efficiency of the solar array and adds the complexity of batteries to an otherwise pretty much maintenance-free installation. Since we already have a propane tank on the property for our furnace, oven/range and water heater, propane makes the most sense. Jeremy also checked out the wiring I did for the barn and pronounced it ok. I gave Pat the first installment on the project and signed the papers. Jeremy will get back to us on his estimate for trenching and electrical hookup. Away we go....

Meeting at Better World Solar

Michelle and I went to meet with Pat and Lee in Albuquerque today. They had tea for us (we're avid tea drinkers, and so is Pat) as well as a proposal, which addressed the size of the system, type of components, and expected payback time. It was a very impressive package that clearly addressed all of the known issues to that point. Pat is very conservative in his estimates for the system's output. He used 77.5% of nominal output, reducing the 18 locally produced Schott panels rated at 235 watts each from a nominal 4.23 kw to 3.68 kw for purposes of real-world expectations. This should provide about 83% of our electric energy needs. This is the largest array we can fit on the roof, which is the only location Michelle will approve! On the expense side of the equation, Pat even factors in maintenance costs of 0.10% per year, even though this expense is very unlikely. The system includes a Kaco 5002 5 kw grid-tied inverter, which includes an internet-based monitoring program, and Unirac SolarMount racking.

We gave the ok to proceed, and set up a time for Pat to bring their electrician Jeremy out to look at the site. I went home and gave myself a loan to pay for the project from my retirement 401k.

Pat and Lee visit

Pat and Lee came to look over the proposed installation site today. I want the array placed on the roof of my metal barn/garage instead of the main house because the barn has a metal roof vs shingles on the house. The barn roof has an ideal southern facing, although the slope is only about 15 degrees. According to Pat, the ideal slope is equal to the latitude, which would be about 35 degrees. He was not overly concerned about this, however, because it only accounts for a few % loss in efficiency. Lee had already spec'd out the probable run for the electrical cables from the barn to the main house using Google Earth. There appeared to be no showstoppers with the location I wanted. The minor concerns included a county requirement to have 3 feet of access around every side of the array. This would severely limit the total space available on the roof which is about 12.5' x 36'. Pat thought he could get the county to relax this requirement since every side is accessible by ladder. I also mentioned that the barn was not permitted during construction (I built it myself) but that I did have plans, which I sent with Pat and Lee.

Actual electric bill sent

I faxed a copy of my Electric bill to Lee. This actual bill, as opposed to the summary I sent last week, has the charge per kilowatt hour and any additional fees, better refining the actual cost I pay for power. Noticed that my rate is much higher than PNM's per kilowatt hour.

CNMEC visit

Today I visited the Moriarty office of the Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative. The woman I met with was quite friendly and helpful. I needed to get a summary of my electric bills for the last few years so that Pat could do an analysis of my energy needs. I faxed the listing to Lee at Better World Solar.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog describing the process of installing a solar photovoltaic array in the Sandia Mountains East of Albuquerque. Although it officially started today with a seminar at Better World Solar (http://www.betterworldsolar.com/), I have been interested in renewable energy for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Florida in the 60s and 70s, my Dad had one of the first prototype solar heaters for our pool. The company was Fafco (http://www.fafcosolar.com/), based in California. The system worked by circulating pool water through plastic capillaries on the roof. In the early days, chlorine in the pool water would attack the plastic and we would come home quite often to roof geysers from the leaks. They kept at it, though, eventually coming up with a formula that was resistant to chlorine. I understand the company is doing very well nearly 40 years later.

More recently, my wife Michelle's graduate class on environmental rhetoric at UNM (http://unmenvirorhetoric.blogspot.com/) hosted noted author Doug Fine (http://www.dougfine.com/) on November 10th, and his wholehearted endorsement of solar power (he lives off the grid) finally convinced Michelle that we should make the leap of faith and go solar. I have been campaigning for this addition to our home ever since we moved to New Mexico 6 years ago, but it took Doug's persuasive rhetoric to tip the scale with my wife.

The seminar that started it all (that's me in the yellow cap)

Just a week later, I was doing some internet research into solar power installers in Albuquerque when I happened upon an announcement of a seminar the very next day. I signed up and attended the meeting. I met Pat and Lee, owner and manager of Better World Solar, and listened for two hours as Pat described every aspect of the process of putting in a solar array. He fielded questions from the attendees and gave the impression that he was passionate about renewable energy and the promise it holds for the future. I was hooked and we set up a visit to my property to evaluate what I wanted to do.