6 things to check before you install a solar plant

 6 things to check before you install a solar plant

Calculate your power load

Note down the gadgets and applications you use every day, such as TV, AC, fridge, geyser, lights, iron, etc, and how long you use them. Then calculate the watt-hour (Wh) by multiplying their run time with their power rating. Add them all and multiply the total by 30 to get your monthly consumption.

Battery capacity

Do you want an on-grid system where you are connected to a grid or an off-grid one, which is a standalone system? If you opt for the latter, you will have to calculate the amount of power you will need when the sun isn’t shining, and buy a battery capable of stories that amount of charge.

Type of inverter

Solar arrays produce electricity in direct current (DC), but electrical appliances use power in the form of alternating current (AC). This conversion is done by inverters, which come in the varying power wattages and types like square wave and pure sine-wave. Your best bet is the second one.

Space requirement

This depends on the number of solar panels you will require to meet your energy needs as these will need to be placed to receive sunlight for at least 8 hours a day. Usually, solar panels require 100sq f area per KW. 

Type and cost of panels

A 1 KW solar panels costs Rs 45,000/- ­­ 80,000/- depending on the type. The three main type of panels available in India are monocrystalline bifacial and polocrystaline. The first two are more expensive than the last one but they are also more energy efficient.

Permission required

You will need to submit a net metering application to your local discom to install solar panels for an on-grid system. The discom will replace the existing electricity meter in your home with a net meter. It will measure the units of electricity imported from the grid and exported back to the grid by solar. You will be charged only for the net imported units (subtracting exported ones).However, no permission is required for off-grid plants.

Benefit from subsidies:

The government offers central financial assistance (CFA) to residential properties to install solar     systems. To avail CFA, you can apply for Grid Connected Rooftop Solar (GCRTS) in two days.

The National Portal for Rooftop Solar

Download the sandes app and register on the government’s portal (https://solarrooftop.gov.in/). You will have a fill up a form and then wait for the feasibility approval from your local discom (electricity distribution company).

After you get approval, you will have to install the plant through a vendor who is registered with the discom.

After installation, submit the plant details and apply for a net meter.

The net meter will be inspected by the discom, which will then generate a commissioning certificate from the portal.

Submit the certificate and your bank account details with a cancelled cheque on the portal. You will get the subsidy in your account within 30 working days.

The portal of state discoms

In this case, you will have to pay only the balance amount after deducting the subsidy/CFA to the bank account of an empanelled vendor after successful installation and verification by the state discom.

Classification of subsidies

For first 3 KW: Rs 14,588-17,662 per KW depending on the state or union territory.

Beyond 3 kW and up to 10 kW: Rs7, 294-8,831 per kW, depending on the state or UT.

For consumers in group housing societies or RWAs, subsidy varies from Rs7, 294-8,831 per kW for common facilities up to 500 kWp* (limited to 10 kWp per house)

Maintenance costs

Solar panels are easy to maintain. They need to be cleaned at least once a month with soft tap water and brushes especially designed to clean them so that they do not scratch the glass surface. However , you should have a professional take care of your plant at least twice a year, such as calibration of sensors, to prevent a drop or shutdown of power generation.

Many companies provide an annual maintenance contract (AMC) for plants over 5 kW capacity and the cost ranges from Rs 1,200-2000 per kW.

For More Details: Pooja Manoj Gupta, visit www.giia26.com
Email: pmgiia26.com Mobile 9868944340