Solar Choices And Costs For Homes & Businesses

Heliodyne Offers Web-Based Courses On Installing Solar Thermal Systems


The New Mexico Coalition for Clean and Affordable Energy (NMCCAE) and the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA) offer an 8-page document on solar energy for homes, businesses, and agricultural entities.





The guidebook, "How to Go Solar Using New Mexico's New Solar Energy Incentives," is a basic introduction for getting involved with solar energy.

Although specific to New Mexico in terms of reference information, the guidebook offers sound advice for potential residential, business and agricultural solar customers anywhere.

The guidebook has information on registering one's solar rights, descriptions of types of solar systems, estimated costs of solar systems, and putting together incentives such as solar tax credits.

The guidebook covers solar photovoltaic and active solar thermal heating systems -- the systems that use panels to collect solar energy. NMSEA and many others offer information on passive solar systems that are typically used for heating and cooling. A well designed passive solar home in New Mexico -- and other areas with cold but sunny winters -- saves about 80 (eighty) percent of the off-site energy purchased to heat and cool an average home.

The NMCCAE and NMSEA urge those considering solar systems to move carefully, be patient, and research options according to one's needs and budget. In many cases, low-cost or no-cost energy efficiency improvements will be a more economical solution than solar electric or solar thermal installations.

Look for restrictions such as homeowner covenants, historical district standards, etc. that affect your home or business.

Register and protect your solar rights under the New Mexico Solar Rights Law. You have the right to prevent nearby construction or other activities that will shade your solar system, but only if you register your rights and inform your neighbors.

Understand different types of solar systems and their costs.

• Solar Hot Water Systems provide domestic hot water.
• Large Solar Hot Water systems provide hot water for air heating.
• Direct Solar Hot Air Systems provide air heating.
• Grid-Tied Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems provide solar electricity without batteries.
• Off-grid Solar Photovoltaic Systems provide solar electricity using batteries.

Positive Energy 1.5-kilowatt grid-tied solar panel array on a garage rooftop, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Positive Energy provides an instructive Photo Gallery of different types of solar systems and components of these systems.

Look at the incentives available to you. Incentives change frequently in the fast growing solar energy field, so check the links provided in the guidebook for updated information.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) in May 2009 created DSIRE Solar.

"DSIRE SOLAR is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote the adoption of solar technologies. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technology Program, DSIRE SOLAR is a new component of the DSIRE project that provides solar-specific policy information to consumers, policy makers, program administrators, the solar industry and other stakeholders."

For any USA state, one may search DSIRE Solar for incentives for either solar electric, solar thermal, or both technologies.

Locate a reputable installer. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is training and certifying solar PV installers and will soon be training and certifying solar thermal installers. Beware of installers who suggest solar systems not be inspected. Report problems with installers to the Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico and/or your local chamber of commerce or better business bureau.

The "How to Go Solar" guidebook was originally published in April, 2007. The guidebook is updated from time to time as new incentives and other information become available. See the NMCCAE and NMSEA web sites for current information.

Heliodyne, Inc. Offers Online Training For Installing Solar Thermal Systems

Heliodyne, Inc. Solar Thermal Roof Mounted Flat Plate Collector. Our Sun heats water in conduits inside the panel. Heated water flows into a tank or other storage system inside the building. A pump returns cooler water to the panel. Water flows in and out of the collector panel through the two silver pipes seen in the image.

Heliodyne, Inc. of Richmond, California announced on May 11, 2009 that it now offers web-based courses for trade professionals interested in installing solar thermal systems.

"Training includes topics such as solar hot water fundamentals, sales and quoting, sizing, installation and service and maintenance. The subjects are broken down into short lessons, which the student can study at his or her own pace from the convenience of his or her home or office.

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"The beginner’s course is intended to educate professionals on solar hot water theory along with proper installation techniques." 



"'Utilizing the internet as a medium to train and educate plumbers, builders, dealers, engineers, architects, planners and other relevant industry professionals is an ideal solution since we can reach so many without the inconvenience and expense of travel,' said Robert Cooley, training manager at Heliodyne."