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Old 08-24-2014, 06:09 AM   #1
Ozz
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NAWS Northern Arizona Wind and Solar

Hello
Has anyone bought from them, or visited their location in Flagstaff?
I am planning a Solar install I will be doing myself and am leaning heavily toward buying most everything from them. They have the solar panels I want and the controllers are reasonable.
How many sales/tech's do they have and should I speak to any one person there you have confidence in? I have talked to Dan Hanselman a few times but don't know what he does there.
I plan on having around 1450 Watts when I am done shoe-horning them on my roof.
Thanks!
Ozz
 
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Old 08-24-2014, 06:41 AM   #2
trfield58
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Ozz, while I've visited their store, I have purchased tons of stuff for my solar install (on 2 different rigs) from them. This last install, I didn't get my solar panels from them. I used panels from DM Solar but everything else from NAWS. Great company.

Tim
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Old 08-24-2014, 06:42 AM   #3
trfield58
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oops, meant HAVEN'T visited their store
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Old 08-24-2014, 06:45 AM   #4
halfwright
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I bought my whole system from them, except hte batteries. I bought 4 125 watt panels, charger and inverter. The forum they have was very helpfulm during my DIY install. They were cheaper, including shipping than I could find in Denver.
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Old 08-24-2014, 06:59 AM   #5
Bigboomer
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Ozz,

We bought our entire system from them including the wind turbine. They were very helpful and all their shipments were securely shipped. I cannot find who I spoke with but I believe it was Robert. They know their stuff. Don't forget your tax credits!
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Old 08-24-2014, 07:38 AM   #6
Ozz
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Thanks Tim and Les, Solar is a whole different deal for me, I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed by the many different design combinations and also the problem of what will fit and where they are to be placed on the roof. I made cardboard patterns and hauled them up a ladder so I could place them and make the whole thing fit. Neighbors had confirmation on their belief's of my oddity.
I already have the Magnum MS-2012, a transfer switch, 6 6 Volt Golf cart batteries and many monitors.
Many thanks to my MOC friends for letting me ask lots of questions. I want service from the sellers of my equipment, and will buy most all of my equipment, expecting that service and answers to my questions.
Robbie was very pleased with Amsolar, but they just don't have the equipment I want.
Thanks again.
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Old 08-24-2014, 08:51 AM   #7
nailbender
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Ozz, Good idea making cardboard patterns. Be sure to add enough space between panels for the mounting brackets and knobs, especially if you want to tilt the panels.
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Old 08-24-2014, 09:11 AM   #8
Ozz
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Don, I have thought about the tilting, I love the concept, but me crawling up on the roof in various stages of soberiety and in all sorts of weather, tilting, un-tilting does not appeal much, having fallen off of a roof or two in my job working on HVAC rooftop units. Also, being in the school of 'one bracket is fine but three would be better on this end of the panel' I don't think I would be comfortable with the tilting hardware. Probably just me, but then again if I worried about it, I would be making another trip up on the roof at a rest stop.
By cramming all the panels on the roof, I am hoping this will compensate for the lack of tilting.
BUT, thanks for the remidner on the space for the brackets, I admit I had not figured that in. Shouldn't take up too much extra space, but it does take up a bit.
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Old 08-24-2014, 10:53 AM   #9
Phil P
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Hello OZZ

The only solar system I had anything to do with was close enough to the equator we didn’t have to tilt the panels at all. They were mounted flat on the roof.

Of course this was on the roof of a building that didn’t get towed down the road LOL.

We installed 1200 square feet of solar panels and a large amount of equipment. The inverters would synchronize with the diesel power plants when we had to run them.
That was a very interesting project. It was a private island and I worked with an electronics engineer that I had known for a long time.

I also installed a cooler system that would hold the temperature at -50C.

I was only with this fellow for 2 years and didn’t finish the system. But I did hear several years later that the system did work well.

Phil P
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Old 08-24-2014, 11:06 AM   #10
Ozz
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Phil, that sounds like a project I would have liked to work on, neat stuff. With that strong Sunlight, I bet it really cranked out the power.
We see so many Solar cells on businesses around here, it is really becoming commonplace.
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Old 08-24-2014, 01:32 PM   #11
Flymutt
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Hey Ozz, ever considered flexible panels?
http://gpelectric.com/
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Old 08-24-2014, 02:01 PM   #12
Ozz
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Flymutt

Hey Ozz, ever considered flexible panels?
http://gpelectric.com/
Not really, they are probably fine, but for many reasons I want the solar panels.

I am not getting emails when someone responds to my posts, is that not working? I did check the SPAM file.
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Old 08-24-2014, 05:50 PM   #13
Mudchief
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Ozz, I found that with my panels flat I was getting about 110 amps a day and when tilted I got 140 amps. I just added one more panels and now don't have to climb and tilt.
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Old 08-24-2014, 06:02 PM   #14
Ozz
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Roger Dennis, that was my thought, just load up the roof and live with it.
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Old 08-25-2014, 04:45 AM   #15
Phil P
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Ozz

I have been helping some on an experimental ranch in Lake Placid Florida. They have been running several of their pumps for watering the carrel with solar panels. No batteries just a group of panels. I have been talking to their telemetry guy (they monitor all water levels and pump action by telemetry) about his telemetry system and those pump systems. They use a regulator to control when the pump turns on and when it turns off. The pump will not come on until the voltage reaches 100V DC. Then shuts off when the voltage drops below 90V DC.

They have come a long way with theses systems in the last 10 years.

I haven’t had the opportunity to get out to one of those systems to see just how they are set up but it sound interesting.

By the way the total land area involved in both of these experimental projects is 11,000 acres for the cattle operation and 13,000 acres for the rest of the research station. It’s a 5 mile drive on their road to get to the office and that’s after you have driven 1 mile thru someone else’s orange grove.

Never stop learning from people that make senses and never listen to people that don’t and as of this time they still have taken the books that tell the truth out of the public library yet!

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Old 08-25-2014, 06:43 AM   #16
Ozz
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Phil, you lead an interesting life.
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Old 08-25-2014, 07:20 PM   #17
Phil P
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Hi

These things just seem to hunt me up. I talked to him again today and he was telling me the centrifugal pumps don’t have any controllers on them. When the voltage gets low they just run slow and because they are centrifugal pumps they don’t load the motor so the low voltage doesn’t seem to hurt anything.

I got involved in this deal when my son called me and told me they needed some help with older equipment.

The first thing the manager ask me was would I be interested in putting their small tractor back to gather.




The he ask me to put a muffler on his large tractor.




When it stops being fun I will stop going out to help. LOL

Phil P
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