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.