POWER
Solar and Wind
Solar is the most obvious choice for our electricity needs in the Socorro High Desert, but it isn't cheap. Although solar has become far more affordable in recent years, even a relatively modest system still carries a huge upfront cost. Luckily, several of our collaborators are already experienced off-grid homesteaders and very familiar with DIY solar arrays, skills which can dramatically lower installation costs, but still, we anticipate that for our initial purposes, even a small off-grid system of panels and storage batteries may cost as much as $80,000 after state and federal incentives. And it won't be particularly pretty at the outset, likely just a simple ground based system that is periodically expanded upon as needed. But as we begin to invest in more permanent festival-venue and campground infrastructure, our solar panels will provide more than just power. They'll provide shade too! Happy Castle is not only a commune and campground, it's a never-ending art project. It's meant to inspire connection and creativity. Even our most basic amenities can foster that mission. However, solar is not the only option available to us and from a cost-benefit perspective, it may not be the most prudent choice in the start-up phase. We happen to be located along county road Sunset Vista and to our right is another 240 acre property, which we are also considering acquiring, that is bordered by Sunset Vista on the West and Highway 178/Highland Springs Ranch Road on the North. So approximately 2800ft to the right of our Northwestern most corner is the main Highway. This Highway is dotted with utility poles along its entire length, meaning we'd only have to pay the County to extend another line 2800ft or so to reach our property. Extending power lines cost about $10-25 per linear foot, so getting county power to the property would cost us $28,000 on the lower end of the spectrum and $70,000 on the higher-end of the spectrum. We could lower costs by trenching ourselves, but this in no way will be a cheap improvement. However, if we do end up acquiring the adjoining parcel then this would significantly lower these costs while also expanding the camp from 160 acres to 300! At the end of the day, Happy Castle is an experiment in completely off-grid, fully self-reliant, sustainable, eco-living so hooking up to grid power is ultimately against our founding principles and aspirations, but for the near-term, this may be a rational course of action well worth discussion. How much we fundraise through our initial Kickstarter will obviously factor into what improvements we initially choose to make and how we prioritize them.
Solar Farm
We are only 6-7 miles from the Rio Grande and experience
750ft in elevation difference. This give us a pretty decent idea of how deep any wells drilled onsite would have to be. With an average cost of $10-25 per foot in the area, an 800ft well would cost $8,000-$20,000. Assuming we go deeper, like 1000ft, we're looking at $10,000-$25,000 for a single well. Neighbors in the area do have wells, but there is no guarantee that we would actually find water, meaning drilling a well could turn out to be an enormous and fruitless expense.
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Additionally, the Happy Castle Commune intends to serve as a model for the world, demonstrating the practicality and possibility of living fully off-grid and self-sufficiently in an arid, high-desert environment. Relying on grid-power is antithetical to this stated mission. However, self-sufficiency is an aspirational goal that we will consistently progress towards, not a condition that will be met immediately. That said, considering the sheer amount of surface area adequate rainwater-collection would require, drilling a well might be the more
reasonable option in the first phase of the buildout process.
Solar Power
as an Income Source
Phase One: 150kW Solar System
For our initial buildout phase, we are planning to strive towards self-sufficiency for a group of about twenty-five people. We expect our initial members would likely be very power-consumption conscious, using far less power than a typical similarly-sized household, but we still intend to overbuild most systems. That said, the average New Mexico resident uses 884 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month, or about 10,608 kWh per year. For 25 people to get all their power needs exclusively from solar-panels, we’d have to generate approximately 22,100 kilowatt hours per month or 265,200kwh a year. For this type of power, we’d need to install a roughly 150kW solar-panel system and batteries. A typical 150 kW solar system can cost between $172,500 and $262,500, depending on the quality of the components used.
The total cost of a solar system includes the price of the panels, installation labor, system size, and other equipment. The price of solar-panels can vary depending on the brand and type, but assuming we use industry-standard monocrystalline solar-panels, this is about what we can expect. Another important consideration is labor. On a typical solar-system, installation-labor can make up between 25-30% of the total cost. For a simple ground-based system like ours, most of the installation could be completed ourselves, eliminating labor-costs and bringing the total price of our system closer to $125,000-$185,000. Financing fees can add to the cost, but for a project with limited outset-capital like ours, we’ll likely have to go this route. Traditionally, solar-systems are financed around 5% for 25 year-terms. In terms of self-sufficiency, long-term debt like this is a potential risk, so although we’d prefer to pay for our system outright, financing is likely our best option at this stage in development. Regardless, we intend to pay off this loan a quickly as possible.
25 PEOPLE
