Solar Ranch Progress
Update 2/20/2010
If actions and intentions are any indication, 2010 should be a good year. Rose and Tom are actively working with Passive Solar Architect, Mark Chalom of Santa Fe to complete the plans for the main building on the property. Various companies have been contacted to gather bids for some of the foundation and wall work, though the bulk of it will be done by Solar Ranch volunteers.
An interesting snag has come up. The bank will not lend money to build a structure on 284 acres. They require us to legally break off a 5 acre parcel for the house with access to the nearest road. Since the road is a quarter mile away, this means a very oddly shaped piece will have to be legally separated!
With the ground primarily composed of rock, there are many forms of waste water management being considered. Composting toilets are already in use on the property and this is an option being considered for the main building. This is a situation where a leach field is probably not possible. Most gray water will be put into tanks for secondary use. Rainwater harvesting is still a top priority.
Last year, the company portion of Solar Ranch discontinued selling SP Bubblies. The product was and is very good, but delivery from the producer was inconsistent. If anyone wishes one, please contact Shawn at Sacred Power, Inc. in Albuquerque.
Although most of the Solar Ranch staff have been forced for economic reasons to work out of the area for awhile, their return is on the horizon and we have high hopes of making progress with the infrastructure this year.
Update 2009
The personnel and volunteers for Solar Ranch accumulated a wealth of recognition for their accomplishments this year.
Melissa Dawson, who has worked with the outreach booth for many years now, took first place with her Honeyed Cornbread in the New Mexico Solar Energy Association’s annual Solar Bake Off competition. Melissa’s recipe is featured in the 7th edition of the Solar Chef Cookbook to be published February of 2010.
For her work in founding the Solar Fiesta, NMSEA recognized Rose Marie Kern with a surprise award during September’s event. She received flowers, a certificate signed by the Board of Directors, and an awesome hat. (See the Solar Ranch booth page).
Rose has been writing articles on solar and sustainable living this year as well. Search for her “Voices of Solar” series at the website:
http://journalofsustainability.com/.
An article about installing solar in central New Mexico is being published in February of 2010 in Countryside Magazine.
Not a lot of physical progress has been made on the property, but that is expected to change in 2010.
Update 2/1/2008
2007 was a year of dreaming and planning more than physical advancement. Property to the south was purchased bringing the total acreage to 283. It was decided that a significant portion of the property, nearly 60%, would be kept pristine in order to create a wildlife habitat. Progress towards the overall goals slowed as the principals involved with the Ranch were required by current employment to spend a great deal of time elsewhere. Most of the 2007 projects involved the development of what will be initially the small living space.
At this time there is a recycled 1984 32 foot travel trailer set and blocked with a 120 square foot enclosed addition attached. The addition contains the bathroom with a composting toilet and greywater effluent in the tub, kitchen and meeting/dining space and lovely views of Capitan Peak. A detached shed was built to add storage.
The business part of Solar Ranch did very well last year. A jump in revenue was seen primarily due to the addition of a higher priced solar product manufactured by Sacred Power Corporation. It is a Solar Water trough de-icer called the SP Bubbly. Ranchers are desperate in the winter time for a way to keep the stock tanks open, so a lot of people as far north as the Dakotas were ordering them.
We have encountered many forms of wildlife in the area including white tailed deer, antelope, rattlesnakes, quail, a striped whipsnake, mice, scorpions, skunks, hornets, vultures, red-tailed hawks, and a porcupine. The porcupine was discovered by one of our dogs, who was not happy with the result. In the summer you can hear a desert bullfrog bellow like an elephant with a cold. We carved out a portion of the swale to create a deeper area where water does not evaporate as quickly. The local wildlife frequent this rain filled water hole.
As you walk the area near the office you can find large chunks of limestone with great indentations. These imprints are horseshoe shaped, about 4 inches deep, with striated sides and anywhere from 6 inches to 12 inches across. They remind you that this land which now sits at a mile high in elevation was once part of the ocean floor during the Permian era. It is part of the area that geologists refer to as the Capitan Reef. Hard to imagine while sitting amongst the cactus.
Progress Report 1/1/2007
It has been 2 years since we began building the basics for Solar Ranch. Progress is slow but in a satisfying way as we see what we have built is solid.
The first task was to determine what are the purposes of the ranch, and what areas of the ranch should be dedicated to each purpose. It was quickly apparent that the human incursion of the ranch property should be in the area most accessible. So the western half of the property, which is full of canyons and hills has been designated as a wildlife preserve. Other than some hiking, it will remain free of "development".
The eastern half is the flat top of a mesa and contains a natural swale that be which transforms into a large pond with each rainfall. It has flat areas containing a wide variety of desert grasses, rocks and cactus. One flat grassy area near the swale will become the organic garden. To balance the soil, which is primarily clay, we have been bringing trailer loads full of bagged leaves and grass, creating large compost heaps that only need time to turn to brown gold.
A dowzer found three points that he felt were perfect for a well. The first two were in the swale basin, so they were discarded as this area would go underwater with each summer monsoon. The third was high on the mesa. The well was dug in the summer of 2005 and is 580 feet deep - but you can hear the sound of rushing water when you put your ear next to the well casing.
Once the well site was determined, we could choose what areas would be used for living areas, workshops and demonstration areas. Since a utility line already runs through the property, a power drop was put in. Though eventually the ranch will be run off of a combined wind/solar system, having power close at hand will greatly enhance our ability to build.
To facilitate the creation of the future buildings and solar/wind installations, the summer of 2006 saw us digging 1,000 feet of trenching to lay very large gauge wires and water pipes. This wire is larger than is usual in a residential area so as to accommodate solar panels and wind generators in the future. As the project was finished and the trenches filled in, we were somewhat perturbed by the long scars the project had left in the desert. But with her usual thrift, Mother Nature took some airborne seeds combined with summer rains and by fall the scar was full of flowers.
Meanwhile, back at the garden, a plethora of seeds decided not to wait for a formal invitation, and in October we walked into a compost heap full of squash and pumpkins.
At this time we have a passive solar architect working with us to create the first permanent structure, a home. We are still discussing if it should be made of adobe or rammed earth, but it will contain a host of sustainable options.