New Old Guy from New Mexico

guitron45 · #1 11-01-2009, 07:45 PM

Hello everyone. My wife and I have been living off grid since moving to N.M. in `83. We spent the first 13 years without running water or a phone, we killed our tv and never looked back. We built our own adobe home on top of a mesa as far from the Matrix as we could get. No permit, no mortgage, no by your leave to anyone.

My wife laid most of the adobes and I was the socetero. That's spanish for the mud mixer/bringer. We came with a modest pv system, [ 4 T105s, 4 arco 35 watt panels, a few fluorescent 12 v. lights and some wire ] from the beach area in southern Ca. We spent about 20 years between Venice beach and Santa Monica, then Malibu and lastly a little further north at Trancas.

We'd still be there if we could afford 20 acres that wasn't in a desert or next to a nuclear power plant. This is home now and we could never go back. We are in the process of growing our system to meet our current consumption needs. Thought I could brush up on the technology and latest jargon and maybe answer a question or two if I see one I know something about. I'm not a techie but sometimes wish I were. I just know enough of keep us out of too much trouble.

Ron

**greencat** · #2 11-01-2009, 08:21 PM

Hi Ron and welcome to N2E. Were glad to have you here. Pretty neat you living off grid. Please keep us abreast on how its going. Some details would be fantastic. Very interesting how you and your wife are living off grid.

myocardia · #3 11-01-2009, 08:27 PM

Hello Ron, welcome to the forums. I have a cousin who lives near Taos, whose story sounds identical to yours. So much so that I expected to see his name, if there was a name. Where are you, somewhere near Albuquerque? Anyway, if you're interested in adding some power, prices have hit rock bottom in the industry, since the economy has crashed. You can now buy UL listed panels for less than $2.50/watt. I'm not sure if you're running your four T105's @ 12V or 24V, but that same seller has an awful lot of prices that low on 12V panels also. Anyway, welcome to the clan.

**paul** · #4 11-01-2009, 09:25 PM

hi ron and welcome to the site. glad to have you with us and look forward to hearing more about your alternative energy adventure

guitron45 · #5 11-03-2009, 04:55 PM

[QUOTE=myocardia;8137]Hello Ron, welcome to the forums. I have a cousin who lives near Taos, whose story sounds identical to yours. So much so that I expected to see his name, if there was a name. Where are you, somewhere near Albuquerque? Anyway, if you're interested in adding some power, prices have hit rock bottom in the industry, since the economy has crashed. You can now buy UL listed panels for less than $2.50/watt:

Hey I totally missed this post somehow. Took a look at the link. The 130w. deal is on two 65s to make the 130. I have to fit the new panels on my two zomeworks trackers. So I am somewhat limited in what I can put there. The closest seems to be 130 w Kyocera that are just a little larger than the 12 old arcos. Those are just part of the system. There are 8 65 w. Solarex panels on the roof and a small array on the ground. We are around 800 watts currently. The system is 24 volts. I will probably get between 6 and 10 of the Kyoceras depending on what we can afford. That will get us between 1.6 and 2 kw depending on how many we get.

For some reason the url I wrote into the last thread came out as text. Maybe it was underlined I can't see that thread now.

Later,

Ron

myocardia · #6 11-03-2009, 09:55 PM

Ahhh, your first post says you have four 35 watt Arco panels. Because of that, I assumed you were looking for a few more smaller panels. Were you aware that Northern Arizona Wind & Sun has the Kyocera KC130TM's on sale for $450 each, and the Kyocera KD135GX's on sale for $420? Just 4-6 of either of those would roughly double what you currently have. Post some pictures of your setup some time when you're bored, will you?

guitron45 · #7 11-04-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myocardia

Ahhh, your first post says you have four 35 watt Arco panels. Because of that, I assumed you were looking for a few more smaller panels. Were you aware that Northern Arizona Wind & Sun has the Kyocera KC130TM's on sale for $450 each, and the Kyocera KD135GX's on sale for $420? Just 4-6 of either of those would roughly double what you currently have. Post some pictures of your setup some time when you're bored, will you?

I see how that happened, four panels is what we brought from Ca. in 83'.

I'll post some picks to myspace when I get the new array installed. Or if there is a place here I can do that too.

I saw that price for the Kyoceras and Az. wind and sun. I would have to pay freight and can buy them at 454. locally so that's a better deal for us so far. But I'm open to other ideas.

I am curious about larger wattage pannels but they are so much larger in size it defeats my puropse. If trackers weren't pricey I'd be looking at the 24v ones. But we don't have a lot of discretionary cash, just some savings. We decided to expand the system before my wife retires because we sure won't have it to spare then.

Ron

myocardia · #8 11-04-2009, 06:03 PM

Oops. Now I see how it happened, also. My mistake. My subconcious somehow decided that since that was all you had brought with you from California, it was all that you have now, ~25 years later. And ~$450 for 135 watt Kyoceras is still an awesome price. Can I ask you a personal question? Why do you feel that every panel you own must be attached to a tracker?

Yes, I know you get a bit more power out of each panel when they're attached to a tracker, but isn't it better to have the panels and be producing power, if buying the panels while they are on sale is all you have the money to buy? Won't they still be selling trackers later, if you decide you need another one or three? Panels that aren't on trackers can be used with the same charge controller as your panels that are on trackers.

guitron45 · #9 11-04-2009, 06:11 PM

They are not all on trackers. I simply want to put the highest wattage ones on trackers for obvious reasons. If I get 10 of these 130s they won't all fit on the my two trackers which are desinged for 12 arco 35w. panels. They are approx 1'X4'. The 130s are and inch and a half larger in width. I think I can still fit six of them on the two trackers.