BajaNomad

Solar Guru's, Hep me

CortezBlue - 7-6-2012 at 10:38 PM

I am curious if CFE offers any kind of credit for installing Solar and using it to, essentially, run my electric meter backwards. I am thinking if I don't go down to SF for a month in the summer, a solar system could create a ton of energy that, maybe, I could get a credit for.

Let me if you know:light:

BigWooo - 7-7-2012 at 05:32 AM

I have a friend with solar panels "on grid". He's done his research and found out that running your meter backwards is the only benefit, there is currently no mechanism for, or program to issue credit, at least in BCS.

BajaBlanca - 7-7-2012 at 06:50 AM

boy that sure would have been a nice bonus !

meme - 7-7-2012 at 07:03 AM

Yes, there is a program here in San Felipe with CFE.
We are presently living in a house(friends) in EDR that has had solar installed to be tied to the grid by Baja Batteries recently.It's not cheap, but these folks use a lot of electric in the winter here. Jeremy Blinkovich would be happy to work with you Im sure. This to our knowledge is the first & only residence to do this here.

Sandlefoot - 7-7-2012 at 07:07 AM

Running the meter backwards does put power back into the system. But when the guys working on a power outage or maintenance of any kind the power is turned off before they do their work. Isn't this power from a different, unknown to them source, possibly going to cause smoke if it hits some unsuspecting line man? The local power provider needs to know if some one is putting power into the system. There is equiptment to inerface correctly to avoid problems. Just a thought!!!! I know NOB they have d'vib equiptment on the service trucks, don't know if they do SOB.

Happy Trails

[Edited on 7-7-2012 by Sandlefoot]

meme - 7-7-2012 at 07:30 AM

CFE has installed a special/different kind than usual type of meter here (that the owner paid for) so they are all very aware that this system is installed here.

choyero - 7-7-2012 at 07:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sandlefoot
Running the meter backwards does put power back into the system. But when the guys working on a power outage or maintenance of any kind the power is turned off before they do their work. Isn't this power from a different, unknown to them source, possibly going to cause smoke if it hits some unsuspecting line man? The local power provider needs to know if some one is putting power into the system. There is equiptment to inerface correctly to avoid problems. Just a thought!!!! I know NOB they have d'vib equiptment on the service trucks, don't know if they do SOB.

Happy Trails

[Edited on 7-7-2012 by Sandlefoot]


Good point, I have 3 retired lineman in my immediate family. I've heard about this my whole life, usually it was a generator that provided the power that flowed back into the grid. My dad has lost a few friends this way. It usually occurs in a storm when there is a power outage, the linemen thinks the line is dead, but that is not the case as someone is energizing it with generator.

DavidE - 7-7-2012 at 08:05 AM

The Comision Federal de Electricidad will have all the answers right there in their office.

Bajajorge - 7-7-2012 at 08:37 AM

I know in San Felipe there are people having both solar and CFE. Their meters do run backwards at times. CFE gives credit on the electric bill, they don't pay cash for power you give them through solar though.

capt. mike - 7-7-2012 at 08:56 AM

1st i have heard that CFE has any grid tie programs. to do it safely there are all kinds of disconnects and a 2nd meter required. When the system has a problem or the grid goes down there has to be controls in place that prevent solar from feeding in.
that's how all approved interconnect agreements work in the states for utility companies that have grid tie programs.
if you are on a proper grid tie batteries are not part of the system.

larryC - 7-7-2012 at 09:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
1st i have heard that CFE has any grid tie programs. to do it safely there are all kinds of disconnects and a 2nd meter required. When the system has a problem or the grid goes down there has to be controls in place that prevent solar from feeding in.
that's how all approved interconnect agreements work in the states for utility companies that have grid tie programs.
if you are on a proper grid tie batteries are not part of the system.


Actually you can have batteries in a grid system. What some people do is run the grid power through their inverter/charger input, the inverter passes the power through to the house and charges your batteries at the same time. If the grid power goes down then the inverter switches from a charger to an inverter and your electric service is not interrupted. This is not a true grid tie system since no power is put back into the grid and you don't get any creit from CFE, but you also don't lose power during the frequent (at least here in Bahia) power outages. You can also sell your solar panels since you don't need them as the grid is doing the battery charging.
Larry

capt. mike - 7-7-2012 at 10:15 AM

thx Larry - interesting system.

but - if you are making power off the panels [grid tied application] then your elec bill is reduced against what would otherwise have been taken off the grid - why not have a grid tied solar system like done in the states?
You still could arrange a battery bank for back up when the CFE goes down, i have seen the layout for that - but here no one wants batteries in their solar due to extra cost and maintenance - but our power rarely goes down and if so only a short time.

larryC - 7-8-2012 at 09:42 AM

Capr Mike
You are right you can have a true grid tied system (getting credit from the power company) and have battery back up. It is just more expensive to buy and maintain batteries and if the power is pretty reliable then probably not worth the hassle. Here in Bahia the power is down at least once a week, sometimes only for an hour or so sometimes much longer. Luckily its a problem that money can fix.
Larry

DavidE - 7-8-2012 at 09:49 AM

I place the value including transportation and time spent, on freezer contents, weighed against whatever a battery bank will cost. With my chest freezer I used to have a minimum of four hundred dollars worth of stuff in it. Sometimes, with lobster and lots of frozen berries, a lot more than that. It doesn't take too many trips to the gasolinera at a hundred dollars a whack to learn that a generator is not the final solution. This is reinforced when changing oil, or yanking the rope a few hundred times to get it started.

larryC - 7-8-2012 at 12:47 PM

David
I couldn't agree more, generators are a necessary evil. I set my solar system up so that I am 98% solar independant. I only put maybe 20 hours a year on my generator.
Are you on the grid on off?
Larry

baconjr - 7-23-2012 at 02:06 PM

Looking for off grid system in Ensenada area. Does anybody know of a legit solar company in the area?

DavidE - 7-23-2012 at 02:11 PM

baconjr

I sent you a U2U...

larry c

captkw - 7-23-2012 at 02:57 PM

HOLA, i HOPE YOU DRAIN THE CARB AND TANK ?? k&t

larryC - 7-24-2012 at 09:11 AM

Capt
I have looked for but I can't find the carb. It must be hidden somewhere behind a bracket or something.

lost carb

captkw - 7-24-2012 at 09:21 AM

HOLA, Its gotta be there somewhere LOL you can add STABLE to the fuel but I'd recommend draining if sitting idle for long periods....K & T

monoloco - 7-24-2012 at 02:04 PM

Larry, Is your Kubota the 3600 rpm inclosed model? How do you like it? Is it quiet? Would you recommend it? I am thinking of getting either the Kubota or a Perkins 1800 rpm to run my shop.

larryC - 7-24-2012 at 02:24 PM

Capt
It doesn't seem to have a carb, the intake manifold has a tube that goesdirectly to the air cleaner no carb in between. Do diesels have carbs? Gotcha, just having fun at your expense:tumble:.

Monoloco
Mine is the gl 6500s, it is enclosed, it runs at less than 3600 rpm but I am not sure exactly what the rpm is. The gen is belt driven off the 2 cyl eng. with different sized pulleys so the eng turns less rpm than the gen. Pretty sure the gen turns at 3600 rpm. For me it works just fine, it burns about .3 gallons per hour, has a 5 gallon built in fuel tank. Pretty quiet, water cooled, mine is in the garage so I can't hear it from the house. Has oulets for 120v and 240v, or you can flip a switch and it is 120v only. I have had no problems at all, so I would recommend it.
Hope this helps,
Larry

msteve1014 - 7-24-2012 at 05:02 PM

Thats pretty funny Larry. Be carefull with the sta-bil too.

NO CARB..NO INJECTOR

captkw - 7-24-2012 at 05:55 PM

DAMN,,ITS ONE OF THOSE NEW ONES THAT RUNS ON.....HH20..COOL!!! K & T :cool:

CortezBlue - 7-24-2012 at 10:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
1st i have heard that CFE has any grid tie programs. to do it safely there are all kinds of disconnects and a 2nd meter required. When the system has a problem or the grid goes down there has to be controls in place that prevent solar from feeding in.
that's how all approved interconnect agreements work in the states for utility companies that have grid tie programs.
if you are on a proper grid tie batteries are not part of the system.


El Capitan Miguel
Hola from Mesa

You know in Mexico they do use the UBC building codes, you know the Universal Building Code............................ Oh wait, in Mexico it is the Unknown Building Code,,,

Never Mind

Some calm fall day, I would love to fly down to SF.

I promise I will not take my High Blood Pressure Pee Pill

capt. mike - 7-25-2012 at 09:22 AM

ok, we could do a trip some time.
currently i am not doing any 3rd party trips though.
avgas in mexico has skyrocketed. Fees are ridiculous.
what used to be fun and cheap has become expensive and a red tape nightmare with TSA and CBP protocol out bound and inbound for US private flights.
just not worth it anymore. i've covered all of baja many times and a great deal of Mexico down to their riviera and centro america. over 30 years worth. not that motovated to go back much.

CortezBlue - 7-25-2012 at 10:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
ok, we could do a trip some time.
currently i am not doing any 3rd party trips though.
avgas in mexico has skyrocketed. Fees are ridiculous.
what used to be fun and cheap has become expensive and a red tape nightmare with TSA and CBP protocol out bound and inbound for US private flights.
just not worth it anymore. i've covered all of baja many times and a great deal of Mexico down to their riviera and centro america. over 30 years worth. not that motovated to go back much.


Well there is always San Felipes Cantina at Tempe Marketplace

grid tie in BCS

nastalgia - 11-12-2012 at 07:14 AM

Am presently going through the process with CFE to grid tie some of my solar panels.
A simple process in which they require your grid tie inverter have Island protection built in
which most do in order to prevent sending power to grid during outages. There are 4 forms they want completed as well as a google map printout of your location and spec sheets on the panels and grid tie inverter. They may or may not change your meter depending on the model you have. The do not require dual meters. A single meter is available from them at no cost to change out the one you have if needed. And finally an inspection of your system to insure it meets minimum safety standards set by them. Entire process completes in about two weeks due to scheduling the inspection. NO BIG DEAL HERE!

larryC - 11-12-2012 at 08:12 AM

Interesting, does CFE credit your account if you make more power than you use? Are you on a tiered metering so that the power you use in the nights is less expensive than the power you produce during the day? What is the advantage to you for going through the hassel?
Larry

monoloco - 11-12-2012 at 09:03 AM

There is a restaurant in Todos Santos, La Esquina, that has a very large grid tied system, the owner told me that CFE will only offset you bill with the power produced, they will not give you money back if you produce more than you use.

ncampion - 11-12-2012 at 10:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by nastalgia
Am presently going through the process with CFE to grid tie some of my solar panels.
A simple process in which they require your grid tie inverter have Island protection built in
which most do in order to prevent sending power to grid during outages. There are 4 forms they want completed as well as a google map printout of your location and spec sheets on the panels and grid tie inverter. They may or may not change your meter depending on the model you have. The do not require dual meters. A single meter is available from them at no cost to change out the one you have if needed. And finally an inspection of your system to insure it meets minimum safety standards set by them. Entire process completes in about two weeks due to scheduling the inspection. NO BIG DEAL HERE!


Just curious, where are you located???