• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • r ranson
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Jay Angler
  • paul wheaton
stewards:
  • Nicole Alderman
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Anne Miller
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • Nina Surya
  • Matt McSpadden
  • thomas rubino

Off-grid solar installation

 
pollinator
Posts: 186
Location: Colorado Plateau, New Mexico
41
fungi foraging composting toilet building solar greening the desert
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
We bought our solar components from AltE in 2020.
I was eager to get it installed so we could get the higher tax rebate before it was phased out.
The materials   sat in our storage container for years because building has taken way longer than we anticipated.
AltE went out of business.
The tax rebate was reinstated higher than before.
New Mexico changed its regs so that homeowners can no longer get a permit to install their own solar. (!!?!!)

Our solar installation was completed and approved last December.

Here is our blog post about the solar and electrical installation on our off-grid tire-bale house:
https://www.brownkawa.com/post/electrifying
 
Posts: 469
63
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'm in a very rural section of a Sierra Nevada county in otherwise highly regulated California.  Originally, for our own home, I drafted construction plans and went off to the county office to apply for a permit.

The county's response was "why are you bothering us with this?".

A contractor standing behind me pulled me aside and explained, unless I was building a commercial structure, or a rental housing unit, they don't care what you build.  I said ooookay, and was on my way.  Since then, I've completed the cabin, a 40' X 20' combination workshop/carport, and a 20' X 20' tractor shed.  No permits, no inspections, no increased taxes.  I still followed code in my construction, just in case attitudes change in the next 30 years or so.  I did have an electrician inspect the work for my off-grid system installation, and he was present when I flipped the system on.

It looks like you installed maybe 16 ~300W panels or so, is that correct?  What are your production numbers like?  For my own system, I went with Schneider's XW+ 6848, which can power our 240V well pump.  With a 4,500W primary array, our personal best is 26kWh in one day, while powering the well pump.  On non-irrigation days though I find us consuming <5kWh.  What are your consumption numbers like?  I think your MagnaSine is also native 120/240V, isn't it?

I did not roof-mount my panels like you did.  I put them on single-pole rotating ground mounts, that could be turned East to West over the course of the day.  It isn't motorized, I just turn the arrays by hand.  Facing East to West, my 4,500W array can power the well pump (~2100W) from 8am till 4pm.  What's the source of water at your place?
024.JPG
[Thumbnail for 024.JPG]
032.JPG
[Thumbnail for 032.JPG]
 
He's giving us the slip! Quick! Grab this tiny ad!
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic