3/22/12

Tax credits power photovoltaics: blue state vision

There is so much money in Santa Fe County it sometimes seems like a fantasy. The San Marcos feed store/restaurant/lumber yard is building this photovoltaic array to replace its reliance on the grid. Each panel generates 238W and the total system is expected to produce about 40kW. Arrays like this one are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in northern New Mexico.






Water catchment is another given as recharges are often unable to pace demand and the detection of elevated tritium in part of the Santa Fe water supply reminded residents about the value of their resources. Small businesses are frantic with retrofitting those properties without dependable water storage utilizing a gravel roof that is also resistant to wildfire: so is elastomeric stucco. Occasional heavy snows send residents or their hires above deck to shovel.

It's so refreshing being around builders who are safe rather than cheap and producing because it's the right thing to do instead of cutting corners to the cheapest fix.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

After being in northern NM, I came home and built a stick fence windbreak for my garden. It just made so much sense.

I used old, downed 5 foot branches that were strewn all over a windbreak the owner wanted cleared out. I bought nails. That was the total cost and environmental impact. I loved it!

D.E. Bishop said...

Well damn. I don't know why my name isn't showing up with my comments. The previous one is from me.

larry kurtz said...

Sorry about that, DE. The new Blogger interface is clumsy but apparently necessary to stem spam to subscribers.

Found items are my own preferred objets d′art as wel: art-of-fact.

Unknown said...

I'm glad to see Tom at San Marcos having such a large array installed. He has lots of customers that live off-grid. You should also check out Rio Grande Jewelers Supply ( RGA) They have a 200,000+ Sq,ft facility, with a HUGE array, providing shade for employees cars and ton's of electricity!