Solar Power in the East Mountains
An experiential journey along the road to solar power in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
REC Agreement Signed
I finally received the REC agreement from CNMEC, signed it and returned it by mail. Nice to have a little additional income from the system.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
CNMEC REC credits
I received a letter last week from CNMEC saying they are finally able to buy REC credits. The lawyers are still looking at the fine print on the contract that will have to be signed by both parties, but I'm looking forward to shortening the payback time on my system to the tune of $14.97/1000kWh. They are multiplying any production back to December of last year by a factor of 4 as an incentive, so I will qualify for that as well. Since New Mexico does not yet have a formal exchange for REC credits, this seems like the best way to go ahead and get started with some additional income from my PV system.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
New Meter
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Roof Rake
Here's how the rake stores |
Before raking |
Some flex in the shaft helps with the high roof |
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Snowy December
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Solar power is beginning to go mainstream
Excellent discussion of the state of solar power today from USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-10-30/solar-power-energy/50979764/1
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2011-10-30/solar-power-energy/50979764/1
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Farewell Better World Solar
Got a very sad letter today from Pat. He has closed the doors on Better World Solar. His reasons are many, but it boils down to just being too hard to make a start up solar company work in New Mexico right now. You would think this would be a great time for an alternative energy business to flourish, but there are still too many political and economic hurdles being put up by those only interested in monetary profit, no matter the cost to the environment. All I have to say is it's our loss, and I wish Pat and Lee good fortune in their future endeavors. I know they did right by me, and I will continue to enjoy the fruits of their labor for many years to come.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Autumnal Equinox
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Summer Solstice
Production for the longest day of the year was 30.54 kWh. The higher temperatures decrease the panels' efficiency, but this is offset by the longer days. Averaging over 30 kWh on most days now. Total production so far is at 3.2 million Wh!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Happy Earth Day!
30 kWh for Earth Day |
Over 1.5 million watts so far |
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Paperwork Wrap Up
I met Pat and Lee for lunch at La Provence for a final wrap up of the NM state solar paperwork. It was literally the first time we could all three get together since the system was turned on. After we ate, they presented me with an incredibly detailed notebook full of all the documentation associated with out solar project. What a great idea! All the information is right there--manuals, proposals, contracts, etc. They even included examples of how to fill out the state and federal tax forms to ensure I get the full solar credit. Also, they're delivering the state solar forms to Santa Fe...I didn't do anything but sign them! Once again I have to say it; don't give these folks your business if you enjoy hassles, b/c there just aren't any that you, the customer, have to concern yourself with...they do it all for you! Pat likes to say that it should be easy to go solar, and with Better World, it certainly is. Okay, I'll stop gushing now.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Hooray for Generac
The high winds we experienced yesterday (gusts to 70 mph) knocked down 8 power poles around 1:00 pm, leaving 4000 homes without power for about 21 hours. Ours was not among them, thanks to our generator which performed flawlessly in its first real-world test. We were the envy of our cold, dark neighbors.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
March's production of over 717 kWh. Note that the numbers for the 14th and 15th are inaccurate b/c I turned off the router while we were out of town, forgetting that the comm card in the inverter needs the router to talk to the internet. Some of the data was cached within the card and recovered when comms resumed, but part of both days is missing. Still, the graph shows the ever increasing daily totals, marching toward the solstice on June 21. There were only three days of significant cloudiness/snow cover (7,8,22), proving once again that the Land of Enchantment is a good place to collect photons.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
First Electric Bill
Our first electric bill after system start-up. It includes the 9 days prior to going solar. After startup, we used 305 kWh and produced 409, so the charges are only for set fees and the 224 kWh we used before solar, reduced by the overage we produced (104 kWh), for a net of 120 kWh. Note our previous electric bill of $156.23!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
First full day of production
It appears I won't be able to keep a live link detailing realtime electricity production on the blog b/c a user name and password is required to access the data on the Kaco server, and I'd rather not post that info for some unscrupulous person to abuse. I will, however, post recaps on occasion, and the first full day of generating electricity is one of those occasions. Ignore the erroneous data to the left of 4:00 am; it's an artifact from yesterday and the fact that that data was still recorded on German time. The day was actually fairly cloudy, so I am pleased with the numbers overall. You have to remember that the panels are only tilted at 15 degrees to the south; not exactly optimal for this time of the year with the sun relatively low to the horizon even at noon. However, we've already generated over 20 kw since recording started late yesterday afternoon. I leave for Milwaukee tomorrow, but it will be nice to stay in touch with the local photons anytime I want to log on.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Let the Photon Harvest Festival Begin!
Bryan and Kenny making the switch |
Bitte Herr Kaco, Sprecken sie Englisch? |
Testing the generator |
To Photon Farmers Everywhere: CHEERS! |
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Final Building Inspection Complete
Pat called this morning with the great news: tomorrow at 10:00 the coop will be here to plug in the rec meter and we can, at long, long last begin generating electricity. Dave, who installed the panels, brought county building inspector Jeff by this afternoon to sign off the final on the already built building as well as the solar installation. All blocks are now checked save the one from the coop. Tonight I labeled the new circuit breakers, a laborious process that was worth some cardio as I ran up and down the back stairs a few dozen times. After dark, I demonstrated what living on just the standby circuits powered by the generator would look like for Michelle. We were very pleased with the speed at which the Generac started up and the high quality of the power it provided (no flickering at all). Tomorrow, we will hopefully have a Photon Harvest Celebration! Stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Major modifications to installation approved
This green tag should be made of GOLD! |
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Grievous errors caught!!!
You in a heap of trouble, boy |
Oh, it's so much safer now |
"1. Meet required clearances in front of electrical equipment"
"2. Install transfer switch for generator"
We'll get back to #1, but as to #2, sheesh, I left the basement door wide open and it was about 10' to the right of said generator. Said inspector had come out for the prelim last week and Jeremy had explained what the transfer switch looks like and where it would be (inside the basement). The flexible wiring conduit from the generator goes to a box on the outside wall...and then what? Well, since nothing else is attached, gee, it must go THROUGH THE WALL INTO THE BASEMENT where the transfer switch is located! OK, so it was my fault for not being there to answer to this particular charge.
As to #1, the code requires 3 feet of clearance from any electrical box (in this case, the rec meter) to the generator so as not to impede the numerous workmen constantly fiddling with it. Of course, once the meter is installed, it will never ever be touched again! So, Jeremy had to drive all the way back up here and shorten the conduit between the main box and the solar cutoff, thereby moving the cutoff and the rec meter box to the left of the generator. We also physically moved the generator over to the right on its pad. Rules is rules, especially in Bernalillo County. Jeremy will perform some remedial education using the generator owners manual on said inspector, and hopefully all t's will be crossed and i's dotted and everyone will be happy tomorrow. Jeremy has the patience of a saint, so I guess I'll follow his lead.
I just want to make some electricity from the sun. Waaaah
Monday, February 14, 2011
Hardware is all Finished
Outside and... |
...inside. Inverter, Transfer Switch/Standby Circuit Breaker Panel, Canoe. |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
DC wiring harness from panels |
Barn interior box moved and made legal |
Jeremy and co came at 10:00 and fed the wires through the 100'+ of conduit: both DC from the panels and 220VAC back toward the barn for the inside service. They also moved Michelle's computer circuit to the transfer panel, so that's all complete now. I got a first look at the inverter, still in its packaging. It looks like the add-on WatchDOG monitoring card will require a hardwired ethernet hookup instead of WiFi, so we'll have to figure out how to get to the cable modem/router from the basement. Tomorrow should complete the install, and the inspector is expected on Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed!
I picked Michelle up at the airport, and noticed these screens (picture to the right) as I was waiting. They provide info about the Sunport's 145 kW PV system consisting of over 400 panels installed over the parking garage. This system has produced over 71,000 kW hours to date. A nice way to offset some of the huge carbon footprint an airport has to have.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Troubleshooting the Generator
$10 fuse |
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