2012 Nissan Leaf

I finally took delivery of the 2012 Nissan Leaf on 6/5/2012.  This brings me one step closer to total energy independence.  I will no longer be dependent on foreign oil and dirty energy sources to power my home or my commute.  I love being part of the clean energy revolution and knowing that I am doing my part to reduce my carbon footprint.  I will now be driving a solar powered 100% electric vehicle around town.  What's more: I will be driving around with a clean conscience. 
It turns out that I should have installed more solar panels on my home because I am estimating that I will use between 150-200 Kwh more than I produce with my solar panels.
I do have one bit of fantastic news about my solar panels, though!  When I entered into an agreement with my electric company PNM back in October 2009, they agreed to pay me 0.13 cents per Kwh that I produced until 10/13/2021.  This is roughly $60 a month that PNM PAYS to ME until October 2012!  You gotta love it!   Well, get this - they are now only paying a REC credit of $0.04 cents per Kwh which is reduced by .5 cents every 6 months for a term of 7 years.  I hit this at the right time!!!!!!  By being an early adopter of solar energy I am gaining about $40-$50 dollars a month in income from PNM.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been almost 3 years after I started this blog I am thrilled that I started on this journey toward energy independece.  Life is Good!

Next project - let me know your ideas!

Nissan Leaf - Now Available

It is finally happening. The Nissan Leaf is now available in New Mexico. I have scheduled a home inspection for the home charging dock and sent a request for a price quote to the dealer. I could take possession in as little as 3 months.

I'll keep you all posted.

EV + PV = Sun Powered Driving.

Electric Car !

On 5/15/10 I paid $100 to reserve my Nissan Leaf SV -100% electric vehicle.

The news out of Nissan on availability is coiming very slowly but they are still stating that the cars will be available in New Mexico at the end of this year. I"m not too optimistic, however, because since they started producing the vehicle in Dec 2010 they have only shipped just over 100 of the 20,000 reservations they have. I'm currently waiting for them to notify me to install the home charger. I have heard that they are refusing to sell the car unless the potential owners have the charger installed before hand.

Owning an electric vehicle looks expensive up front. 1) the purchase price of the vehicle is $33,720. 2) The home charging station is expected to cost $2,000.

However, after federal tax credits of $7,500 the net purchase price would be $25,280.

I did some math on the cost savings on the vehicle. If I drive $10,00 miles in a year it should cost me $36.00 a year. Why only $36 dollars a year? Because my solar panels will charge most of my trips -but not all of them. I'm currently producing about 150 extra KWhs a month.

The average yearly fuel cost for my previous vehicle was $1,500. Thats a savings of $1,464 a year or $14,640 dollars over a decade. Also, Dont forget that I don't have to change oil or pay for oil changes.

However, the biggest benefit to owning a 100% electric vehicle is that I will living in a way that is consistent with my values and acheiving my goal of transitioning from dirty energy to clean & sustainable energy. By making the transition to clean energy I am doing my part to a) not send my hard earned American dollars to foreign oil-producing countries b) reduce my carbon footprint -which in turn reduces carbon emissions -which reduces our risk of extreme weather events -which saves lives -which saves the US government huge amounts of money, and c) help my local economy buy keeping my money in Albuquerque, NM, USA, not in Saudia Arabia.

Anyway you look at it, making my next vehicle an electric vehicle is a WIN WIN situation!.

Stay tuned for when I get the green light from Nissan to buy the car!

The Next Steps to Energy Independence!

Whats up Jimmy Goes Solar readers! Here is a brief update on my goal of becoming energy independent.

1) My Solar Panels have produced over 1000 KWhs of electricity since they were hooked up. I"m also getting those nice checks from the electric company because the contracted with me to buy my renewable energy. AND -- I'lll be getting my Solar Tax Credit this year! What am I going to do with all that money? I don't know yet, but you can bet that its going to go toward one of the projects on my energy independence and sustainability wishlist.

The Energy Independence and Sustainability Wishlist:

* An electric vehicle - When I heard that Nissan was going to be producing the Leaf this year I was thrilled at the idea that i could power my own electric car with my own solar panels. However, I soon learned that these cars would not be available in New Mexico for a few years. When they are available here, I'm buying one!
* Trombe Wall or Solar Wall - I want to add a few of these walls to the south facing walls in my home. These walls use the power of the sun to heat the space in your rooms. This project definitely occupies one of the top spaces on my Energy Independence & Sustanability Wishlist.
*Solar Hot Water - I would like to buy a solar water heater. These things aren't nearly as sexy as the solar panels, but they certainly do cut down your Carbon Dioxide Emissions.
*Electric Radiant Heat -under some of the floors in the house. Have you ever gotten out of a shower or tub and stepped onto a warm floor? Its the best! Take my word for it. And, that heat will be powered by my solar panels -one more step toward Energy Independence.
*Solar Space Heating -These are panels that you can buy and install on your roof that pump air heated by the sun into your home. I see them all over Albuquerque -seriously considering this as a way to reduce the amount of natural gas I burn to keep warm.

Thanks for reading -I'll keep you posted regarding which project i start next!

9AM October 10th - JIMMY GOES SOLAR!

It finally happend. The electrician came out to fix his misatkes and the panels are producing energy! Its a beautiful sunny day here in Albuquerque and I'm generating my own electricity. Oh Happy Day!









This is the picture of the readout on the inverter! It says CO2 Saved ....














And here is my REC meter -showing how much energy I'm producing.

2 months -still no electricity.

Its been 2 months since the solar panels were installed and I still have no electricity. First, my solar contractor scheduled an electrician to hook up the electric part, then there was a mixup between the electrician and the city inspector which delayed things even more. Finally, the city inspected it last Monday. Last Thursday PNM installed the REC meter and TODAY was supposd to be the day that PNM came out to do the anti-islanding test and we would be operational.

Well, come to find out, we couldn't get any AC or DC potential. Now my contractor has to follow up with the electrician and find out where the breakdown is. Will I ever go solar?

What a frustrating experience - I started this in July and here we are in October still waiting. Hopefully, I'll be up and running soon, but I've been saying this for 3 months.

More Photos of the Solar Array