BajaNomad

Solar Panels in San Felipe?

CortezBlue - 3-14-2014 at 04:41 PM

I am curious if anyone has installed a solar system on a CFE electrified house?

Since I don't live in mi casa fulltime, I got to thinking maybe I could rack up enough credits, while I'm not there, to help offset my electric bill?

So I am curious if anyone else has done this?

If so

1. Did you have to setup the system with another meter from CFE

2. Can it be done without the knowledge of CFE? In other words, make the meter run backwards?

3. What is the exchange rate? Kw to Kw or are there transfer costs involved.

bajaguy - 3-14-2014 at 04:55 PM

Quote:
Not in San Felipe, but:

I am curious if anyone has installed a solar system on a CFE electrified house?

...............Yes

Since I don't live in mi casa fulltime, I got to thinking maybe I could rack up enough credits, while I'm not there, to help offset my electric bill?

.................Pretty much, yes

So I am curious if anyone else has done this?

..............In the process

If so

1. Did you have to setup the system with another meter from CFE

............CFE replaces your meter with a so-called "smart meter"


2. Can it be done without the knowledge of CFE? In other words, make the meter run backwards?

.............NO, CFE has to sign off on the install, the new meter " runs backwards" and gets credits to your account

3. What is the exchange rate? Kw to Kw or are there transfer costs involved.

..............CFE charges you about 65 pesos per billing cycle for a connect fee

A friend here in Ensenada had 3000 peso CFE bills, installed a 1500 watt system (about $4500.00USD) and her bills are just the connect fee for the last several billing cycles.

Your installer works with CFE to get all the paperwork done and signed off

Electrosolar in El Sauzal, Ensenada


Since I don't live in mi casa fulltime, I got to thinking maybe I could rack up enough credits, while I'm not there, to help offset my electric bill?

So I am curious if anyone else has done this?

If so

1. Did you have to setup the system with another meter from CFE

2. Can it be done without the knowledge of CFE? In other words, make the meter run backwards?

3. What is the exchange rate? Kw to Kw or are there transfer costs involved.


[Edited on 3-14-2014 by bajaguy]

Riom - 3-14-2014 at 07:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
I am curious if anyone has installed a solar system on a CFE electrified house?


The Baja Batteries people (across from the El Dorado Pemex) have done a few grid tie installs (on their building, and some residences around San Felipe).

When I looked into it a few years ago the economics didn't work out for me. I'm in San Felipe mostly in the winter, when the electric cost is highest (with electric heating), and away in the summer, when the amount paid for electric is the lowest, plus there was a high fixed monthly cost for the new meter. Too low a return on the substantial (5 figure) investment needed.

If the summer electric subsidy comes down (so that the price paid is higher), or the fixed meter cost is or becomes lower, it could be worth looking at again.

[Edited on 2014-3-15 by Riom]

PaulW - 3-15-2014 at 07:03 AM

Good luck with these old contacts.
Solar Services
Baja Business Dev
686-111-0504
Navajo electric
886-111-1834
Solar Express
577-2475
SolCool
686-577-2552

bajaponderosa - 3-15-2014 at 05:42 PM

This is a Post from my Facebook Baja South Campos Amigo
The Name of the man who did this to his home is Joe Jones

We have just completed our first month of operation of a “Grid-Tie” Solar installation at our home in San Matias. San Matias is about 35 miles west of the Military checkpoint, on the road to Ensenada. We purchased a lot here when we decided to live full time in Mexico, but since our home south of San Felipe did not have commercial power wanted somewhere in Mexico where we could live cheaply and have commercial power in the summer for cooling.

We have loved the decision to have our place in San Matias. While only 100 miles from our home on the beach it has a completely different atmosphere for living. Though only 2,800 in elevation the added elevation and the 35 miles from the Sea of Cortez results in lower temperatures and very low humidity most of the time. Water you can drink from the facet at $12 dollars per month, power provided by CFE, Telnor telephone and soil that is great for gardening made for a great place to spend the summer. And great Mexican neighbors, part of a small Mexican village (with a number of us “Gringos” also around) made for a very enjoyable and different environment than the beach community.

We also loved the electric bills for the first 8 to 10 months we lived here. The electric bill, which comes every other month, is the only piece of mail we ever receive in our mailbox. (Mailbox required by CFE for them to deliver the electric bill.) Most of the time the bill was in the $30 to $40 per month range, sometime going to $60 or $70, but very affordable. Then it went up like a sky rocket. The two month period ending August 10th was for almost $8,000 Pesos.

After a little research, I discovered that electric bills in our area are really “subsidized” for low users of electricity. Many of the homes in San Matias only have a single 110 volt connection to CFE instead of the 220 volt connection normally found in the US. If you use less than 3,000 kwh (kilowatt hours) per year your electric rate is less than 1 peso per kwh. Go over that and you rate is over 4 pesos per kwh. Which is what caused the initial low bills to jump so high once we reach the 3,000 kilowatt mark.

Since we were living like we would in the States‘, cooling, three refrigerators, freezers, electric dryer, washer, etc., we of course where soon over the 3,000 kilowatt point after those first first few months. Since my neighbor and I in San Felipe had obtained a large number of used solar panels I decided to look into a “Grid-Tie” solar system for San Matias. I was already running fully on solar at our beach home, and with my background as a retired Electrical Engineer I decided to talk to CFE about it.

A “Grid-Tie” solar system is very similar to the system used at our beach home, but without the bother of needing to have and maintain batteries, the only real re-occurring cost of a solar system. The system will generate power during the day, in fact our meter actually runs backwards most of the time now during the day. Then at night, or when my wife is running the electric dryer, we take power from CFE. An ideal system would generate sufficient power during the day so that the excess power would match what you use at night. End result, no electric bill.

CFE was very willing to work with me on this. They e-mailed me a draft copy of the required contract and a list of information they needed. I completed that, e-mailed back to them. They checked it and I then went in and signed the contract. Only cost was a little of $100 for a new digital meter, which they still haven’t installed. But what the heck, I don’t care, the analog meter still runs backwards just fine.

The system I installed consisted of twenty 185 watt solar panels and a 4.2 kw (kilowatt) inverter, with built in controllers and disconnect for the solar panels. Only other requirements was framing for the solar panels, wire, and an electrical junction box to tie the 220 volt output from the inverter to the commercial power. Since I used to be an Electrical Engineer, and am very handy I basically did the installation myself which does of course save on the total cost of the system.

At $150 per panel I had $3,00 in panels, the inverter was $1,800, and I estimate I spent approximately $400 more on the wire, framing and junction box. Total cost approximately $5,200.

After having the system in for the past month, I am generating an average of 20 kwh per day. About 1 kwh per panel. So in a one month period I have generated just over 600 kwh for the month. At the 4.2 pesos per kwh I am paying for electricity that ends up reducing my electric bill by $2,520 pesos, or at 12 pesos per dollar, $210 per month. So in just over 2 years the system will have paid for itself and I will in essence be making over $200 per month off my solar system.

Another second benefit will be that after a year of this I will be back below the 3,000 kwh per usage level and what remains of my electric bill should be billed at the less than one peso per kwh rate. Looking good.

We deal with CFE out of Ensenada. Not sure if the San Felipe area has the same rate structure. But if it does, and you are experiencing high electric bills you may want to consider installation of a Grid-Tie solar system for your home in San Felipe.

Will be very happy to discuss with anyone about this and provide additional information about “Grid-Tie” solar systems, or solar in general if you would like. I can be contacted by e-mail at bajajoe@hughes. Net And just remember: “Life is Good”. Joe

Alm - 3-15-2014 at 08:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaponderosa
Another second benefit will be that after a year of this I will be back below the 3,000 kwh per usage level and what remains of my electric bill should be billed at the less than one peso per kwh rate.

And what stops his (summer) bills from coming down below 3,000 kwh before one year, I wonder? The system is already running.

Riom - 3-15-2014 at 10:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaponderosa
And what stops his (summer) bills from coming down below 3,000 kwh before one year, I wonder? The system is already running.


The DAC (high usage rate) is reached by having an average consumption of 2500 kWh per month (on the 1F tariff in San Felipe, other areas are different) over the past 12 months (a rolling average, updated every two months).

So if the consumption was well above that it'll take a while to wear off (6-8 months if was previously 5000 kWh/mo and is now zero, for example). I agree it would generally reset before a year if the consumption has dropped a lot.