Gila River Solar Solutions

Consider the possibilities of Alternative Energy. It is a definate possibility and feasable for the average home. Gila River Solar Soluitons can help you turn your world Green. Located in the Gila River Indian Community, they can guide you through the process of converting to solar energy. Contact David Johnson to help you understand how you can save money on your energy costs.

David Johnson, a businessman in the Gila River Indian Community, said the Community is moving in the right direction, and that the savings would relieve economic constraints. “If you can save a little bit, you take the money you save and put it to programs that are needed,” he said. “The investment is knowledge.”

Johnson, who is enrolled in a solar hot water certification program, also recognizes difficulties for Community members to achieve the savings of a residential solar unit. Salt River Project (SRP) and Arizona Public Services Company (APS) offer programs designed to offset the installation of a solar water or solar electric unit in residences.

The Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority (GRICUA), which serves D1-D5 and a small portion of D6, does not provide incentives correlated with the installation of solar residential systems. The San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP) also does not currently offer any credits for residents who choose to go solar. “There has to be some kind of program started to help to help with the initial cost,” said Johnson who recently installed a solar hot water unit at his residence in D5.

The system Johnson uses is known as an active system with a closed loop solar water heater. This system circulates Johnson’s household water and cost approximately $8,000 for installation. “Anybody likes to save,” Johnson said. “Then you tell them the price and they say no.”

“You could go off the reservation, you’ll see panels [on residences] but you come on the reservation you don’t see anything,” Johnson said. APS has a Renewable Energy Incentive Program which provides rebates making solar more affordable. For a solar water heater that costs $5,000, SRP will offer a $1,300 incentive as well as a 25 percent Arizona tax credit and a 30 percent Federal tax credit.

“It would be great if everyone could get solar panels on their house but they are really cost prohibitive right now,” said Janet Bollmann with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). “The interesting thing about solar energy,” said Margaret Cook, Executive Director of DEQ, “is the variety of it.”

Passive solar energy for instance is used without mechanical devices. A passive solar design would include overhangs and shading with insulation and thermal mass to absorb the heat and store warmth and coolness until it is needed. “Passive solar, we can do that ourselves everyday,” said Cook who has implemented several money and energy saving projects to the DEQ facility. “We’ve been able to document how much green house gas we’re saving and how much of our electric bill we’re saving.”

The Renewable Energy Team received a renewable energy interconnect agreement with SCIP. “It’s a huge step for us,” said Chischilly.

In Sacaton, solar streetlights line a stretch of Seed Farm Road, a nearby residential area and in the Post Office and MTO Smoke Shop’s parking lot. “That just proves to people that solar is coming,” said Johnson.

Johnson’s system runs through an 80-gallon water heater. The panels on his roof are aluminum and consist of 16 insulated copper tubes. The heat is absorbed through a ¼ inch glazed glass. Water passes through the top of the panel and drains through the bottom and circulates through the water heater. Johnson said that Community water is “hard” or has a high mineral content leading to a build up of sediment in water tanks and plumbing.

A water softener would greatly reduce the likelihood of calcification said John and, in turn, create a better operating hot water solar system. Johnson needed to modify his home in order to accommodate the 80-gallon tank. “The houses were not built adaptable to solar systems.”

The other projects the Renewable Energy Team reported to Council are a possible 5 to 7 megawatt solar farm near Wild Horse Pass and research into a hydroelectric system.

Johnson is confident that there will eventually be an implementation of credits for Community residents. “It’s coming.” He also calculates a 30 to 40 percent savings on heating costs within the first 90 days of solar usage.