30 replies to this topic

[barbara habacht]

We have decided to go ahead with solar electricity....CFE calls me by my first name when I walk in every two months and I would rather they didn't know me so well.

We got a very good bid on the Solar Electrical system BUT it is still too high for my lack of savings to pay for...so we are buying it in sections. We must pay for the bidirectional 5 terminal meter; labor; the inverter and SOME panels.

"SOME" is the answer for us. Panels are sold as pairs and a total of 8 are needed for our house...BUT we save $600.00 us dollars for each pair that we don't buy. Four panels will keep us out of the RIP US OFF RATE of CFE....and we can add 2 panels at a time...at $600.00 per pair after we pay off the initial investment. The system allows an easy addition without any modification as needed. Our future electric bill should be kept at the basico rate or maybe a little over...and as we add panels then our bill should drop to the minimum.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

Fred

[guss]

Do you live in a development where permission was required by the board before installing the panels?

Would the electric co pay for any “extra” electricity that could be generated by the panels?

Would the rainy season affect the performance of the system or individual panels in any way?

I wish you luck and hope it solves your problems. Please keep updating your progress on this forum.

Thanks for sharing

G

[barbara habacht]

We live in Joco...therefore we have no "board" or "group" that can prevent any improvement we choose to undertake.

CFE does NOT pay for any excess electricity you produce but they do give you a credit which carries forward.

If there is no sun, then there is no performance. Usually we only get rain at night and unless we get "crazy" rain like we just experienced...rain only is expected from June 15th to October. Mexico is considered a prime area as to successful solar production.

Our problems are caused by excessive costs for electricity and a cost increase of 18% planned for this fiscal year. We estimate a 6 year payback on our investment and then zero cost to produce electricity from then on.

Our 100% satisfaction with solar hot water has also convinced us that free solar heat and electricity is too good to pass up.

[MtnMama]

We lived off-grid with solar panels for 5 years before we moved to Mexico. A few thoughts: Outback Inverters are by far the best and worth paying a little extra for. The panel plan - part now, part later - should work fine. We had 12 panels for the two of us but the people who bought the house had a bigger family. They added 4 more panels - no problem. Get a subscription to Home Power magazine. It was a gold mine.

[peteben]

Where are you getting your panels?
Mercado libre has quite a variety suitable for DIYers. When I last looked, you could buy a complete 1kw system for about $5,000 US. Pretty reasonable IMHO.
Let us know how your project turns out.

Pete

[barbara habacht]

I have been offered a new system, fully installed and guaranteed for far less than $5000us. Panels are much less now than they were just a year ago.

[Atlas]

Who's the provider?

[barbara habacht]

e2 energias...the same people I used to install my solar hot water

[guss]

Thanks Fred and all who have given good info here. G

[Atlas]

e2 energias...the same people I used to install my solar hot water

They're the best IMHO!

[barbara habacht]

I can't knock the other folks that are doing this as I haven't used them....these folks just came highly recommended and their quote was very good.
Fred

[johanson]

It is a great idea to do as Fred is doing. I bought an inverter to convert the solar power to CFE power that was bigger than I needed for the number of panels I originally purchased, and then slowly purchased more panels to fine tune my system to match my power needs. Now my bills average about $200 pesos every two months

There are several providers that have a very good reputation, one of which is the one Fred is using out of Guadalajara, another is eSun Energy near Wal*Mart by the cutoff in San Antonio. near Domino's pizza.

Yes the prices have really dropped on a photovoltaic system. When I purchased mine, that stock market had not yet crashed. So that must mean sometime in 2008, and it made economic sense at that time. You folks all have an even better deal, because yes the prices are coming down all of the time. And yes the cost of power is also going up.

Today the DAC rate equals $3.762 per KWH + 16% IVA + another monthly charge
Four years ago the rates were $2.783 / KWH + 16% IVA + another smaller monthly charge. That’s about a 35% increase in just four years

And in another 4 years the price of electricity will be higher perhaps $5 pesos per KWH before taxes and the monthly fee and the cost of the panels Etc.will be even less.

So if you own your own house, and plan to be around for a while, consider solar panels for electricity and while you’re at it why not check out solar hot water.

Congratulations Fred.

[johanson]

It is a great idea to do as Fred is doing. I bought an inverter to convert the solar power to CFE power that was bigger than I needed for the number of panels I originally purchased, and then slowly purchased more panels to fine tune my system to match my power needs. Now my bills average about $200 pesos every two months

There are several providers that have a very good reputation, one of which is the one Fred is using out of Guadalajara, another is eSun Energy near Wal*Mart by the cutoff in San Antonio. near Domino's pizza.

Yes the prices have really dropped on a photovoltaic system. When I purchased mine, that stock market had not yet crashed. So that must mean sometime in 2008, and it made economic sense at that time. You folks all have an even better deal, because yes the prices are coming down all of the time. And yes the cost of power is also going up.

Today the DAC rate equals $3.762 per KWH + 16% IVA + another monthly charge
Four years ago the rates were $2.783 / KWH + 16% IVA + another smaller monthly charge. That’s about a 35% increase in just four years

And in another 4 years the price of electricity will be higher perhaps $5 pesos per KWH before taxes and the monthly fee and the cost of the panels Etc.will be even less.

So if you own your own house, and plan to be around for a while, consider solar panels for electricity and while you’re at it why not check out solar hot water.

Congratulations Fred.

[tomgates]

We put in a 2.8kw (14-200w panels) in May 2010. We had some more involved structual work and the drive-off price then was $28,000, or $1000/kw. Cost now would be $750/kw. We have a Kaco inverter. ESun did the work. They are the best.

[Go Solar]

Tom, you're missing a "0" in your #'s....

We installed a 3 kW system today in Vista del Lago, and pricing is under $5,000 / kW. Another 3 kW system, plus large solar hot water system 2 weeks ago in upper Chula Vista. Another combo (PV and SHW) recently in Laguna Vista.

We've also recently installed one of the largest, if not the largest, solar electric systems at lakeside, Dec 2011, central Ajijic, 40 panels, 8 kW.

Exclusive solar sponsor of the Northern Lights Music Festival, tambien. Two 20,000 peso packages we have donated will be auctioned at the Jazz event Feb 25th at the Auditorio. Great chance to get some solar system installation "credits" at a discounted price (perhaps)!

www.solartechnology.com.mx

[Sarita]

Does anyone have experience (preferably good) with installing a solar hot water system? I have had no end of trouble with the new on-demand hot water system I put in a few months ago, which cycles between scalding to freezing every few minutes.

I am looking at a mid-size residential system that doesn't require too much space to install and can piggy-back on to my nearly useless on-demand (since the damn thing is installed & paid for) to take care of cloudy day water production.

Any ideas on cost of a good unit? Gracias for input.

[Go Solar]

Sarita,

Past posting from another client & web-board user; we have many on here: PM me if you'd like more info.

Irish Gal
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Posted 30 October 2011 - 09:09 PM

We are happy clients of GoSolar's company. They installed our solar hot water system some time ago. We didn't have to fill up our gas tank for close to a year and a half, and that's with using our gas fireplace several times last winter, having a gas dryer and cooking with gas. We are more than satisfied with the system. As RVGringo said, he wished he'd done it 10 years ago.

And thank you for supporting Cruz Roja!

Lots of people on here mention their business and more power to them. That's how we found Mike the Computer Guy.

[SolarPro]

Greetings Solar Citizens,

Be careful about what "solar panels" you are buying out there. All solar electric or photovoltaic modules are not the same, despite what a slick salesman may try to tell you. You must also compare technologies, power output, power tolerances, quality, years of experience, country of origin, and perhaps most importantly the Manufacturer of the actual solar electric panel. An easy rule of thumb is to stay away from any non-brand name panel (Can't pronounce the name of the real manufacturer- don't buy it! duh.) These manufacturers and the companies selling their low quality, non-certified products will most likely be out of business within a year or two and the supposed warranty will be worthless. It happens all the time.

eSun Solar Energy is the premier solar solutions provider Lakeside and has been developing successful projects in Mexico for more than 7 years. They have over 150+ Lakeside solar electric projects installed and connected to the CFE. Top quality products, great value, professional local installation team and a local showroom where you can see a real person and the CFE meter spinning backwards. In addition, they also provide real green jobs for the Lakeside community and donate a lot of financial resources to local charities such as The Red Cross/Cruz Roja and many other orphanages and childrens groups.

Check them out:
www.esunenergy.com

[The traveler]

We used ESun Energy. Bill went from 1165 to 50-80 pesos for 2 months. It really works and don't have to worry about scrimping on electricity now.

[RVGRINGO]

We used ESun Energy. Bill went from 1165 to 50-80 pesos for 2 months. It really works and don't have to worry about scrimping on electricity now.

What was the total cost of your installation to achieve that savings?