OUR
BIGGEST
INSTALLATION
SO FAR
A 6KW system at Bill and Kathleen Head’s,
1102 Piano Ave. in Gallup
All Gallup Solar installations are part of a curriculum in Green Technology at UNM-Gallup taught by Chris Chavez, left, who is also a licensed contractor. Chris works closely with and is supervised by Luis Rodriguez, right, a local licensed electrician who has learned all he knows about photovoltaics on Gallup Solar jobs and is extremely enthusiastic about grid-tied solar.
Don Hyde, Gallup Solar Outreach Coordinator with twenty 300 watt panels awaiting installation.
On every job there are hurdles to overcome.
The main roof couldn’t accommodate the 20 panels that were required to supply 100% of this home’s usage. So we had to design a two-string array and put 4 panels on the garage.
Some trepidation revolved around the 46 holes to be drilled but all lag-bolts for rails were successfully screwed into the supporting rafters.
Students watch and take notes but begin to have hands-on-participation as soon as their skills are recognized.
Once rails are installed, Luis begins the ground wiring.
There are some tricky circumventions around roof protuberances.
And a dual-disconnect box with two 20 amp breakers.
This student, Thomas Chiscilly, is an electrician getting started with solar.
Now for the panels…
Easy does it.
And voila, 6KW tied to the grid, see smaller string on far roof.
Bill & Kathleen Head with Scooter and 6KW.
And on to our next hands-on solar teaching project!
THE IRVING JONES STORY!
REPORT ON THE
THREE GALLUP SOLAR
CANDIDATES' FORUMS
HELD IN FEBRUARY
BY TYLER CANNON
It is time again for city elections in Gallup. As a city with a municipal electric utility, we have an opportunity for greater representation in the dialogue of developing Gallup’s energy infrastructure. Accordingly, Gallup Solar used the month of February to host three candidate forums: one for mayoral candidates and two for city councilor candidates in districts four and two. The forums were meant to not only provide a platform for people to hear candidates’ personal interests and concerns, but to also clarify for the public the candidates’ stance on solar energy. Each candidate held varying degrees of interest in renewable energy, generally speaking; however, in order to get beyond vague notions of support, Gallup Solar asked two specific questions regarding the town’s future with solar.
These questions reflect the requests that Gallup Solar will present
to the city in the coming year:
1. Would you support Virtual Net Metering (VNM), a billing method, to allow for the development of solar gardens, called by Gallup Solar
“solar corrals”?
2. Would you support a push for the Council of Governments (COG) to apply for the EPA solar feasibility study for a City Owned Solar Plant
on a brownfield?
Unfortunately, not every candidate attended the forums, and of those that did, not all of them answered the questions directly. There are a total of four mayoral candidates, of these four, three made an appearance throughout the month: Patti Teshima Herrera, Rose Marie “Shorty Sandoval, and Jackie D. Mckinney. Each of the city council candidates made an appearance. Below are the candidates’ responses
to each question.
Mayoral Candidates
Patti Herrera took no issue with supporting both of these requests. She shared the idea of advertising the VNM on the utility bills themselves.
Rose Marie “Shorty” Sandoval had no problem with feasibility study but referred vaguely to possible budgetary issues. She displayed no commitment to either recommendation.
Jackie D. McKinney expressed that adding virtual net metering to the city budgeting system should be no problem. He supports the feasibility study and would be willing to write the letter of support.
District #4 Councilor Candidates:
Cecil E. Garcia had to leave the forum early due to time constraints. His known support for solar and prior interactions and interests indicate that he would support both requests.
Francisca “Fran” P. Palochak expressed interest in VNM, but made no commitment. She also said she will encourage COG to write a grant.
Richard M. Ross explicitly did not support a city owned plant. He did not respond directly to VNM or a feasibility study.
John J. Azua expressed hesitation at the idea of a city owned plant, and he did not respond directly to VNM.
Kenneth P. Starkovich explicitly supported advocating for the EPA study. He also did not respond directly to VNM.
District # 2 Councilor Candidates:
Gerald Anthony O’Hara (write-in) had to leave the forum early due to time constraints. His known support for solar and prior interactions and interests indicate that he would support both requests.
Michael W. Schaaf (write-in) explicitly supports VNM and would support COG filing for the EPA feasibility Study.
Roger Allan Landavazo said he will support both VNM
and the feasibility study.
Expressing no preference for any one candidate, here we provide you with insight into what may be seen in the City of Gallup given the election of each candidate. Absentee Voting began on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015, and will end on Friday, March 6th, 2015. Early Voting by voting machine began on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015, and will end on Friday, March 6th, 2015. Both Early Voting and Absentee Voting will take place at the Gallup City Hall, Second Street and Aztec Avenue, during regular business hours. You can also call the City Clerk’s Office at (505)863-1254 to request an absentee ballot by mail.
Polls on Election Day, Monday, March 10th, 2015, will open at 7:00 A.M. and close at 7:00 P.M. The following locations have been designated as Voting Convenience Centers for the conduct of the City Election:
Southside Fire Station #1, 1800 South Second Street
Northside Fire Station #2, 911 West Lincoln Avenue
Eastside Fire Station #3, 3700 Church Rock Street
Westside Fire Station #4, 707 Rico Street
Harold Runnels Athletic Complex, 820 East Wilson Avenue
McKinley County Courthouse Rotunda, 201 West Hill Avenue
All city voters will be allowed to vote at one of the six designated Voting Convenience Centers on Election Day. Voters will not be assigned to a specific polling place
For more information go to gallupsolar.org or call 505-726-2497 or come to community meetings held on the first 3 Wed's of each month, 6 to 8 pm, 113 E. Logan Ave.
