The Christmas Within Palacios

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A 2020 New Year’s Resolution: GO SOLAR!

By Rick Kruis & Chuck Van Drunen

Why wait?! The world needs renewable energy and you can do your part to curb climate change and lower your impact on our planet. But even for climate change deniers, going solar in Gallup makes so much sense, it’s really a no brainer. Did you know that New Mexico on average has only 27 days in a year without sunshine? Or that New Mexico has the most sun of any state in the continental US? Or that by doing a grid-tied solar power system it usually pays for itself in 5-10 years, with the remaining 10 plus years of the panel’s life saving you whatever you would be paying in electrical costs. For me that’s around $1,000 a year saved on electric bills.

In addition, delaying your home photo-voltaic installation makes no sense for most of us. The tax credits for solar begin to phase out in 2020. Fortunately, next year the credit will still be 26%. This year it was 30%. Even if I sell my home after installation, I will be able to recoup most of my investment because of the increased equity in my home.

GETTING IT DONE: It can seem intimidating for a homeowner to manage and assist in their own solar installation, but the difficulty is not insurmountable, and you can save lots of money in comparison to hiring a professional solar contractor. For do-it-yourselfers, there is ample technical assistance from Gallup Solar, a local non-profit whose purpose is to help homeowners get solar going (gallupsolar.org).

Gallup Solar can direct and help you purchase hardware from

wholesalers at steep discounts. They will also help you navigate the city permitting process, as well as connect you with a certified electrician specialized in solar installation. Gallup solar is committed to helping Gallup DIY homeowners find economical avenues for home solar power. If you’re not a DIY type of person, Gallup Solar can connect you with a reliable, proven, contracting solar company that will do your entire solar system, start to finish, without you touching a thing…other than your credit card, as cost will usually be about double in comparison to a homeowner DIY installation.

When considering home solar, you can choose from three possible installations: roof mount, carport mount, or ground mount. Roof mount is usually the least expensive, but you need to consider the age of your roofing and whether you should replace the roof first before installing solar panels, as it will be difficult to do so once panels are mounted.

Solar panels are usually warrantied to produce a close percentage of their original power rating for usually 20 or 30 years. The panels themselves, however, may work fine for many decades after that timeframe, but will gradually produce less power with age. For this article we will assume a general lifespan of a solar system to be 30 years, although it could be significantly longer in reality.

How the numbers work—sample costs for my 1600 sq/ft home as a DIY homeowner: • My current electric bill average per month: $75 • Size and cost of solar system needed to offset this bill: 4.5kw system (15 panels) $8000 • Federal 26% Tax Credit: -$2080 • System cost after tax credit: $5920 • Total time for system to pay for itself: 6.5 years • After system has paid for itself, number of years of service life on system: 23.5 years • Money saved after paying for itself over entire system’s life: $21,150 • Total greenhouse gas emissions offset: equivalent to 414,000 miles of driving a passenger car • Total Co2 emissions offset in life of system: equivalent to 19,500 gallons of gasoline

HOW SOLAR TAX CREDITS WORK

When you install a solar power system, the federal government rewards you with a tax credit for investing in solar energy. A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of the income tax you owe. $1 credit = $1 less you pay in taxes. For example, let’s say you owe $5,000 in federal taxes this year. If you claim a $3,000 tax credit, that pays off part of your liability. You would be left to pay just $2,000 in taxes after the credit is applied. It’s different than a refund, because you have to owe taxes to claim the incentive. But since most people owe taxes, most people end up being eligible. If you aren’t eligible for the tax credits in the year you put your system in, you have up to three years to defer it and use it later when you have tax liability. In 2020 the federal tax credit is reduced to 26% from 30%. In 2021 it will drop to 22%. In 2022 it will be 0% . . . gone!

But I don’t have $6,000 laying around to pay for a system? How do I pay for it?

One of the greatest hurdles to a home solar system is finding the money to do it. While the more expensive contract companies will often finance your entire system into a monthly payment, DIY homeowners will have to find the money upfront. One way around this hurdle is get a home equity loan from a bank. If you have enough value, or equity, in your home (Say your home is worth $150,000 and you owe $110,000 on it… then you have $40,000 of equity in your home), banks will often lend you money on that equity. A home equity loan often makes sense if you are doing a major home improvement like a new roof and solar at the same time. This way your roof and solar system will be combined into one payment. Talk to your bank to see if this is an option for you. And remember, your solar system is an investment that will save you money in the long run.

Final Considerations:

The sun sustains our earth and it freely gives of itself every day to grow our food, warm our air, and even help our bodies make vitamin D. Take advantage of this free gift and use it to power your home, instead of taking coal, oil, and other non-renewable resources out of the earth that create pollution when burned. If you are not eco-friendly, then perhaps you are economy-friendly, and might at least consider solar as an option to save you money. I’m sure you could use an extra $700 to $2500 a year! You may also want to consider oversizing your solar system if you anticipate getting an electric car in the near future, as those miles could be freely generated as well. Finally, contact Gallup Solar for any help or info, as they are a resource of knowledge and assistance (gallupsolar.org). While this new year’s resolution is specific to grid-tied solar systems, Gallup Solar can also help those who live off the grid get solar going.

You can do it!

To contact Gallup Solar for more information, email gallupsolar@gmail.com or call 505-728-9246.

By Cobin Bo Willie

End of the World (or The Last Supper)

By Mervyn Tilden

The “End of the World” as we know it came in a nanosecond. The Russian nuclear warhead exploded over the central states of America about 30,000 feet in the atmosphere and completely shut down most of the nation, beginning the disintegration of the rest of society with one electromagnetic pulse blast. Noman was struck by the apocalyptic nightmare as he witnessed the indescribable catastrophe unfold in real time.

Ironically, one of the first things Noman saw was a rainbow in the reddish eastern skies as the sun began to rise over the vast wastelands that was now his road map to oblivion.

There was no warning to indicate the nation should prepare for this holocaust, and in contrast, there was a worldwide embrace of peace and safety just before this conflagration consumed all hope everywhere and transformed civilization into a chaotic hellscape. No one was spared from this fiery death. But he was alive and breathing, and for now, alone.

Noman recalled what he was told as a young man by his aging grandfather as he lay on his death bed, “The curse of man is the knowledge of his own demise.” He also knew that he had a narrow window of time to get to the bunker that he always thought he would never have to use. There, his grandpa had stored provisions of food, water, and other things that would make his next week a brutal one if he did not secure his place there quickly. His demise was now in the forefront of his mind.

His worries about his family were over as they had decided to proceed with their Disneyland trip for the two weeks of his beloved wife’s vacation. They were obviously consumed in the unexpected attack on our nation in the midst of historic peace talks by world leaders and the Summit of Nations held in the land of Israel. It was to be a “Thousand Year Peace” at the conclusion.

Now, there was nothing left to do but make his way back to his dream home in the nightmare of ages. After two days of walking, Noman finally made it to the big city, now in flames and ashes. Transportation had been shut down, along with everything else. There he found others who, like him, were unprepared for evacuation but managed to survive. He knew his only means of getting through the next few days was to join those who were already organizing for what was the scramble for the basic necessities in their present unannounced reality.

All means of transportation were nonexistent and the social matrix had collapsed into a fight to stay alive among the remains of dead bodies everywhere, the stench of decay, and, the absence of goods and services we all took for granted. Looters were in the process of ransacking

Old Town ABQ By Daniel Ensign

homes, pillaging, and plundering without hesitation to kill whoever stood in their way.

The big city had no infrastructure left to determine a strategic course for direction, and government intervention was minimal at this point, leaving the rule of law useless. His most reliable partners were his instinct for survival and those who had committed to stick together while the nation recovered in the aftermath of the ongoing nuclear winter and the domino effect that followed.

Where there was a semblance of civilization, there was now days of anarchy with humans that now resembled zombies. Some could not be distinguished from male or female, with memories of pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki coming to mind. Hospitals were no longer sanctuaries as sanitation and utilities had been shut down as power ceased to flow. Gridlock on the highways stopped traffic and the only way out was by foot. There was no alternative.

Noman felt a wave of icy coldness splash all over his face. Back to reality. A rude awakening. The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. It was his grandmother waking him out of his daydreaming. “I just have to stop overeating Gramma’s yummy poppy seed bagels,” he told himself...

It's about the DOGS! Happy New Year!

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Steer Wrestling By Daniel Zuni

Why The Coyote Has Yellow Eyes

By Orlinda Arthur-Williams

One hot summer coyote was trotting along the dry river bed when he heard laughter in the distance; he stopped and went towards the noise of laughter. Coyote climbed the last hill and peaked over. He saw the ravens playing the eye game. In the eye game, the birds pulled out their eyeballs and threw them in the air. Then they stomped and yelled, “My eyes come back to me!” Their eyes would pop back into their eye sockets. Some eyeballs missed the sockets, and they would laugh and have fun. Coyote thought that it looked fun and decided to try it. He approached the ravens and the flock got quiet and looked at the coyote and asked why he was here.

Coyote replied, “I am bored and want to join your game.”

The ravens replied, “NO, this game is only for birds. We are the only ones that can take our eyeballs out.”

“Please, cousins, can I just tried at least one time,” he begged. The flock resumed with the eye game and did not paid attention to coyote. Then the coyote went closer and caught one of the eyeballs and said, “If you don’t let me try, I am not going to give the eyeball back and I will give it to the Old-man Buzzard.”

Then the ravens gave in, but first one bird reminded coyote, “If something happens, don’t blame us,” and the coyote agreed.

Coyote strenuously pulled out his eyeballs. “See,” he said, “I can take out my eyeballs, too, like you birds—I am just like you!” Then the birds cheered the coyote to throw his eyeballs up in the air! He threw his eyeballs way further than the birds. Unfortunately the coyote’s eyeballs got caught in the current and blew away! He kept stomping and yelling, “My eyes come back to me.” Nothing happened and he kept yelling.

Then a bird said, “Which way did you throw it?” The coyote was blind and tried to catch one of the birds but kept tripping and falling. The ravens were laughing and dancing in circles around the coyote.

After trying to catch one of the birds, he gave up. Then the coyote begged, “Please, cousins, this is not the way to treat a relative, give me back my eyes.”

The birds laughed and said, “Since when are we your relatives; you are not us. Coyotes don’t have any feathers!” They laughed and laughed. The coyote started to cry and begged the ravens.

Finally one of the birds told coyote, “We did not see your eyeballs come back down.” The birds searched and searched and did not find coyote’s eyeballs: “Sorry

there’s nothing; Maybe Oldman Buzzard took off with it and ate it!”

“No! No! No!” cried the coyote. “Please do not be mean and give my eyeballs back.” Then the birds said,

“It’s getting late, we have to get home and feed our young ones.” Some flew off and the coyote cried aloud and begged.

Then one raven said, “I have an idea,” and got a batch of yellow tree sap, rolled it into two balls and pushed it into the coyote’s eye sockets and flew off.

The coyote said, “Wait don’t leave me, it’s blurry,” but his vision improved and he was able to see again by the time all the ravens flew away. This is why the coyote has yellow eyes.

The moral of the story is, you are special and unique in your own way; never try to be like others.

By December Chapito

we can help you with your resolution

to learn a new instrument!

We will have sales on UkulelesKeyboards Guitars In the Store! all wind instruments

201 E Hwy 66 | 505-863-4131 | 8AM–4PM For more information, contact James Eby, Director, Gallup Cultural Center, at 505-863-4131 or at directorgcc@gmail.com.