Solar panels and the CFE

Yep, I had the same problem when I lived in Ajijic.  No problems West of Ajijic.  Had to pay a 2500 p bribe to CFE for a minor upgrade of the incoming service.  I suspect the contractor was complicit in my case.  Win some, lose some.

Logic is not an important quality when dealing with CFE. By their logic, they wouldn't approve ANY new house build because "you aren't currently using any electricity". WTF?

Meanwhile, California has mandated that all new builds have to be equipped with solar, sufficient to be able to produce enough electricity to cover the building's yearly energy needs.

"When it took effect:
The mandate went into effect on January 1, 2020

What it applies to:
The mandate applies to single-family homes, condominiums, and apartment buildings up to three stories tall.

What it requires:
The solar systems must be able to produce enough electricity to cover the building's yearly energy needs.

Exceptions:
There are some exceptions, including vacation homes, houses with small roofs, and shaded properties"

My solar contractor is located in Guad and he does work in other parts of the country as well. He told me that he has never had a problem with CFE except at Lakeside.

Bob
would you share the name of your contractor

I was also looking into "wall" type storage but decided I wanted more flexibility. This article was the deciding factor... and I don't have enought "wall" available. https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/best-solar-batteries
I ended up with an EcoFlow Delta 2 Max which is small but is buildable.
Some of these "floor" type stackable units can be expanded greatly in power but you can do it in increments and they can be hooked up to your solar system in exactly the same way but you plug it in.
https://us.ecoflow.com/pages/delta-pro-ultra Expandable 6 kwhy to 90 kwh

https://www.anker.com/ca/anker-solix/a1790-pps

The possibilities are endless and coming at us rapidly.

New whole home offering from Jackery...

https://www.jackery.com/products/jackery-solar-generator-5000-plus?variant=41317175459927

Any chance that the system would/could be supported in Mexico?

RickS wrote:Any chance that the system would/could be supported in Mexico?  

That is an excellent question.  My history is that my system failed within the first year.  The installer drug his feet and just said "cloudy days" for 6 months.  My panels were MFD in China and the micro invertors were from the USA, APS Systems, but I suspect MFD in China.  So I called the wholesaler and told him that the installer was not going to investigate the system failure.  I reminded him that he he had recommended the installer to me.  He gave me the number of APS Systems Mexico.  I called and emailed for a week with no response.  So then I emailed or called, APS USA.  The next day the installer calls and sets up an appointment to test the micro invertors.  All good.  Well the only other component left in the system were the panels and production was down more than 60%.  He said he would get back to me, so I said I'm calling the wholesaler now to file a claim on the panels.  The installer said that was not necessary, we will come back tomorrow at 10 AM.  

OK, they came back and all 12 panels were failing. Another two months and finally China agrees to replace the panels.  Lesson learned is that I would choose the dominant solar installer at Lakeside who has the best reputation and I would maintain a parallel communication channel with the supplier from start to finish.  Tailgate warranties are somewhat common here.  YMMV

(EDIT: On a sidebar of all of the solar contractors I have talked with over the years, only one, ever mentioned that there was a chance of panel failure. He had only seen one panel fail out of thousands and that was because a cohete hit it, so you can take that opinion with a grain of salt as I had 12 failures. I later discovered that the manufacturer of the panels, the world's largest, had had an enormous fire in their production facility so they probably had production problems when my panels had been manufacured).

RickS wrote:Any chance that the system would/could be supported in Mexico?  

I am assuming that you're asking about the Jackery 5000 plus battery back up? You would have to buy it in the U.S. and have someone like Go Solar do the installation. Basically, it's a PORTABLE battery so IF anything went wrong with it (which I highly doubt), you would put it in your car and take it back with you. I am equally sure that Go Solar would stand by the installation of the transfer switch (which can be either automatic switch over (under 10 ms) or simply throwing a manual switch (but you would have to be home to do that). Jackery is located in California est. 2012. I bought my little Jackery 240 in 2016 and it's still going strong. EcoFlow bypassed Jackery with it's larger offerings and lithium iron phosphate technology whereas Jackery has been slower to implement that technology. I am happy with the larger unit that I just bought from EcoFlow. And the race is on with Jackery now offering the 5000 plus at an even better price but WITH lithium iron phosphate batteries. WE benefit.

Hijole! EcoFlow has an authorized distribudor in Mexico. This is their Black Friday sale page but you can peruse the rest of the site from there.

https://powerme.mx/ofertas/

Everybody's needs are different. I bought mine after I installed the sump pump. IF there was a power failure, my house would flood. I was also going to Canada for two weeks in September...still rainy season. Worked like a charm when I was away and gave me peace of mind. I also have a back up sump pump if the one I have fails. I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law.

In my experience in 15 years, the closer you live to Centro or other prime commercial area, the better your infrastructure and the faster your power returns if it goes out.

I walk around during power outages and it's always the same story re: which blocks come back on line first.

Has anyone ever had a "brownout" that has lasted for 6 weeks but CFE won't come out to investigate!?! My friend in Las Salvias is in that boat now! Electricians have come out but all have a different opinion of what is going on. In the mean time she 'waits' each day for CFE to come by.

In all fairness to CFE, they did come out one time but said that she would have to 'cut back' the boggy vines around their entrance point. That has been done for 2 weeks and they were shown a picture but still not crew has been dispatched.

RickS wrote:Has anyone ever had a "brownout" that has lasted for 6 weeks but CFE won't come out to investigate!?!   My friend in Las Salvias is in that boat now!  Electricians have come out but all have a different opinion of what is going on. In the mean time she 'waits' each day for CFE to come by.  

In all fairness to CFE, they did come out one time but said that she would have to 'cut back' the boggy vines around their entrance point. That has been done for 2 weeks and they were shown a picture but still not crew has been dispatched.  

Is she phoning CFE?

I would go in person and not leave until they gave me a date certain.

I have sat there for over an hour to get things resolved. Do NOT bother with the woman at the front desk who speaks English and all the gringos get sent over to. She is useless. Ask for someone in the back office. Be polite, but insistent, especially on a follow-up visit. I had a billing issue and came armed with copies of bills, a spreadsheet, etc. My Spanish isn't great but I practiced my spiel before I got there.

The people in the back will still try to wait you out; I sat there while "second" breakfast was delivered to the back office and consumed. I could tell the office person who had started to help me before the mid-morning snack was stunned (or maybe impressed?) when she peeked out the door that this gringa was still there waiting for an answer. In the end she finally agreed that I was correct (after 3 other staff told me I was absolutely wrong). She had me stand next to her as she showed me the internal accounting screens as she made the changes; it was reflected on the next bill.

BREAKING NEWS!!! All it took was for me to POST the problem here and, Voila!, CFE appeared! Problem solved. Bad Neutral Line into the house. Being fixed as we speak.

Note: Yes, made a couple of trips TO the office. Took pictures to show.

Way! To! Go! BisbeeGal!! Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. Bravo.