Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would be interested in Solar Companies that can power my house with electricity. I am moving from Texas and used a company called Green Mountain, do they exist in NM?
This is a subscription internet paper, but you can still read the article on a trial basis. I'm happily surprised the article is still there.
I guess I can't post the name directly, but the proprietor is a NM Tech grad (Socorro) who works with used components for more economical installations.
excerpt:
The panels are sealed behind rugged tempered glass and slide together in angled rooftop racks, where they are connected with a simple, proprietary plug system.
A typical home needs a solar system capable of 2,000 to 6,000 watts
of power. ... it takes between 4 and 12 racks of cells to power a home.
A power system for a typical family home with a monthly electric bill of $100 would cost about $35,000, ... State and federal tax incentives can knock off about $11,000 of that, ... and the savings will pay for the rest of the system in nine years, compared to 15 years for existing grid-tied home systems.
I don't agree with the payback period, but generally people that put these in aren't doing it just to save money. They're making a statement.
I would think that passive solar heat would be a no brainer in New Mexico. You know, build and insulated box with the widows on the south side with awnings for the summer to prevent overheating. Electricity from the utility, if available, is usually cheaper and less complicated than generating your own.
I see the advertisement that was placed in this thread has been removed.
> ... passive solar heat would be a no brainer in New Mexico.
I have a friend who simply enclosed a South-facing porch and installed a small box fan at the top of the doorway into the porch. The fan is hooked up to a switch controlled by a thermostat.
The fan blows warmer air in the house while cooler air is drawn into the sun room along the floor.
It is important to move the heat from the "Sun Room" so that it doesn't get too hot in there. The room is mostly glass so that heat from the room will pass through the windows into the cold winter air if the temperature difference between the room and the air (temperature delta) is too high.
The higher the "delta" the higher the rate of heat transmission.
At night, the room is sealed off by a door.
In the summer, their is an awning (as GregW mentioned) drawn to shade the room from the sun during the hottest part of the day - as well as windows that open.
A little active management is all that is required to get the free heat.
Likewise, in the summer for the free cooling that is available.
Many will not lift a finger (a window) to get it, however.
> Electricity from the utility, ... cheaper and less complicated ...
The biggest electricity bill (for our Swamper) was $43 in August.
Our neighbor with a/c spent $112 in July.
According to the owner of the above-mentioned solar firm, you also need to convert your heating from gas to electric to really get the benefit of photovoltaics in New Mexico.
In places like Phoenix and Tucson, generating electricity from your roof pays off the system much faster.
"Schott is building what will be the company's largest manufacturing plant in the United States on a parcel of desert south of the city. The 250,000-square-foot plant will be the company's North American production hub for photovoltaic panels and receivers for solar thermal power plants."
This will be a huge asset to Albuquerque during this economic slowdown.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
solar companies in Albuquerque
