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When solar will be pretty


Ferret

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I mean visually because it already shines like a diamond in my house. For the entire month of February, so far, my daily production has been 7.5 kwh. Since my five panels (350 watt per panel) were installed in March of 2018, I have not paid a dime to CFE except for the 47 pesos per billing period management fee... i.e. to generate a paper bill. They're on my roof of course but, reading this article, I got a glimpse of the future when solar will be pretty...

 

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Neat system, they've been showing this for quite awhile now.    Not cheap.....and a bit complex.....my personal view is:

1 - better without the motors, controls, trackers, etc and expense thereof

2 - this would get abused on the ground..... and who'd want it on their roof....???

3 - solar buildings with PV technology integrated right into the walls and windows (and roof) should be awesome...."invisible" and with a "solar building" wrap, many would produce enough to be net zero or better, too.       

Tesla STILL isn't there yet with his solar shingles, the concepts look good but while he can put satellites and global internet access in space, he apparently can't do a mass solar shingle roof yet.    "Sigh"......     🙂

However, we can now get a 2 kW system, today, at lakeside, from 4 panels and 1 micro-inverter, to produce about 10 kWh per day, and pay back in under 3 years for those on the DAC rate.

So, ...there's that!    😉

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Here's the community water pumping solar system / aljibe and "patio" covering at Laguna Vista.     6.4 kW size system producing about 32 kWh per day, on a year round average basis.

It's nice when solar can be integrated into coverings of carports, patios, pool decks, miradors, and balconies, both for space and aesthetics.    I think we'll see much more of that going forward, including in solar carports with an integrated vehicle charging station, either grid-tied or self-contained with energy storage.

 

Laguna Vista community sys. .jpg

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Thank you Go Solar, for sharing this photo. A 3 year payback?  That is fantastic. That sure, is a lot better than it was when solar systems first arrived lakeside back around 2007, say I guessing the year up here in Seattle waiting for my Corona Vaccine shots before returning home to Ajijic

😃to

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LOL. Yeah, I totally agree with your assessment GoSolar and was surprised at the numbers generated given it's size and the cost. When they get those fixed, who could get mad at acres and acres of nodding solar sunflowers on the roadside of any highway.

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1 hour ago, Ferret said:

who could get mad at acres and acres of nodding solar sunflowers on the roadside of any highway.

Agree, I like sunflowers too!   (who'da thunk)?   

Nodding, waving in the breeze....or in this case, "chasing the sun" (like the song) all day.    🙂

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3 hours ago, Go Solar said:

Here's the community water pumping solar system / aljibe and "patio" covering at Laguna Vista.     6.4 kW size system producing about 32 kWh per day, on a year round average basis.

It's nice when solar can be integrated into coverings of carports, patios, pool decks, miradors, and balconies, both for space and aesthetics.    I think we'll see much more of that going forward, including in solar carports with an integrated vehicle charging station, either grid-tied or self-contained with energy storage.

 

Laguna Vista community sys. .jpg

It looks like to me that Mexico (or just Lakeside?!) is more adapting to solar
than in Texas where I live, in general. Why is that, if you/anyone know?
 

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48 minutes ago, Bob Liu said:

It looks like to me that Mexico (or just Lakeside?!) is more adapting to solar
than in Texas where I live, in general. Why is that, if you/anyone know?
 

Electric rates are much higher here unless you are a really small user and we also have an incredible number of mostly sunny days.  Solar is a no brainer for much of Mexico IMO, particularly since the costs have dropped so drastically.  Just remember when you do install one it WILL need some maintenance, mainly cleaning during the dusty season and make that as easy as possible.

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47 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

Electric rates are much higher here unless you are a really small user and we also have an incredible number of mostly sunny days.  Solar is a no brainer for much of Mexico IMO, particularly since the costs have dropped so drastically.  Just remember when you do install one it WILL need some maintenance, mainly cleaning during the dusty season and make that as easy as possible.

To build on that....

1 - unlike Texas, Mexico residential rates go UP with amount of use.     So higher users are encouraged to conserve, not waste, be energy efficient, and / or produce their own power.     And 1 national energy utility and regulator......not hundreds.

2 - Not to rub it in....but lakeside has an even BETTER climate than Texas......!    😉

 

 

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My whole system installed cost $5,000 U.S. in March of 2018. The panels are Canadian made and each of the 5 panels has its own microinverter. I also have an enphase tracker to see what's happening with the system online. Absolutely the best investment I've made. 

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32 minutes ago, Bob Liu said:

Here in north Texas, the average rate is about 9 ¢/kWh.

In the summer, home electricity bills can easily be $hundreds.
 

At 9 cents a kwh, that translates to 1.84 pesos per kwh. So, you do not under any circumstances want to get into the DAC rate which, as Go Solar pointed out, is currently 6 pesos per kwh.

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37 minutes ago, Bob Liu said:

People in my TX neighborhood “saying” that
it takes decades to get the money back from solar.
 

Well, it never has been 'decades' so they are blowing smoke....

If you are living in a community of 'any' size or near a large community you could ask a solar company for a proposal.... assuming you own your home and have decent solar position on a roof.  5-6 year payback was common several years ago... and after that it is pretty much all gravy.  AND if you heat in winter with electricity it's almost a no brainer.

 

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Solar in the US is very state-specific.  The trend in many state legislatures is to protect and benefit the power companies. 

Our last home in US was in FL the estimated payback was 10 years in 2014 when I looked into it.

This site is from a solar company and assume they put the best spin possible on payback; it says FL is now nearly 11 years on average.  For Texas, they estimate almost 13 years.

This payback frontloads the 22-26% IRS tax credit for those who can claim it (must have tax liability).  That hefty credit is going away at the end of this year, making the payback time even longer.    

https://www.energysage.com/solar-panels/fl/#:~:text=This term tells us as,for a solar panel system.

 

 

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No kids, no pool, gas for heating and water heater,
so we use little electricity, except summer.
So I never paid much attention to solar in TX.

Lakeside area seems to be different in many ways.
Solar got my attention again.

How do I know solar is much more popular here?
I did a search on the multiple listings with “SOLAR” keyword.
https://www.chapalamls.net/search-properties#listings
I got 103 results! : )
 

Out of a total of 457 residential properties on the market now,
it’s 22.5%.
That means if you have neighbors right around you,
there’s one with solar, a safe bet.
 

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My old house bill was 3400 pesos for 600 KwH for two months on a big inefficient house. I put in a small 1040 watt solar/microinverter system and the bill went to 200 pesos. Payback was five years. I sold the system to my landlord and made a profit when I left.   My new house which is much more efficient and doesn't need a solar system as the bill is 520  pesos for 421 KwH for two months.  Not worth a solar system as payback would be 15 years.   First house was on DAC second house is not and I have 80KwH left before I go to DAC.   DAC is when you use over 500KwH for two months for a year.  As you approach DAC bill starts to climb. My neighbor who uses 480KwH (not DAC but close) had a 1200 peso bill. If I find myself increasing close to DAC I may put in a small 500 watt solar panel system that can be moved as that maybe would be economically viable.  So the correct answer is it depends on your house and your usage.  Do the math and see.

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We were running north of 500kWh per month.  Solar output averages around 650 per month.  Installed it with the expectation we might be using part of the output for vehicle charging in the future.

It is an 18 panel STI system installed before the higher wattage panels were readily available.  Could do the same and a little more with 12 panels now.  It has microinverters for each two panels and a really cool data logging web site that allow us to monitor per panel production.  The original microinverters had problems, STI replaced promptly at no charge and the new ones are solid as a rock.

I also did a lot of retrofitting in this rather large house to reduce energy consumption.  As a result, we make more than we use but if I get an electric runabout for use locally it would be close to balanced.

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On 2/23/2021 at 10:08 PM, Go Solar said:

Not THIS week, it wouldn't!     🤣🤣

Lol, nice to see a little sense of humor. but this is a subject I have a lot of interest in as I have worked with a lot of companies with both wind and solar back in Canada. Most were industrial projects, but the occasional home use project did come up.

Unfortunately, back home, the market and conditions for alt energy are not as favorable as they are here, which has landed me more on the skeptical side. As I am a big fan of the technology, but there, Total cost of ownership was a conversation that was frowned upon. Plus business practices bordered on unethical. Also they seemed to have an all or nothing approach that seemed a little odd to me.

So you can imagine my delight when arriving here that I saw a more practical approach to solar. Everyday I am amazed as I take my walks to see how many home take advantage of solar water heating.

So, I am looking forward to following this thread and most likely be reaching out to Go Solar in the very near future.  

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