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PV, short for Photovoltaic, derives its name from the process of converting light (‘photo’) directly into electricity (‘voltaic’). Simply put, a Solar PV system is a power station that generates electricity from sunlight.
The main components of a Solar PV system are:
The majority of solar energy, coming to our earth through the sun rays, is in the form of ‘light’ and ‘heat’. A Solar PV system uses the ‘light’ energy and converts it into electricity, which can then be used to run electrical equipment or charge batteries. A Solar Thermal system uses the ‘heat’ energy of the sun where a solar collector captures this heat or thermal energy and uses it to heat water or air.
Both Solar PV and Solar Thermal are suitable for you. If you need to run electrical and electronic equipment like lights, fans, TVs, computers, etc., Solar PV is the right solution for you. However, if you require a solution for water heating in your bathrooms or kitchens or swimming pools or for space heating, drying, cooling, etc., a solar thermal is more suitable.
Since Solar PV works on the basis of the intensity of sunlight it gets, your solar system typically wakes up at around 6am in the morning and goes to sleep at about 6 or 7pm in the evening. The energy output increases gradually and peaks at around noon and then gradually decreases as the Sun starts setting. But since the solar energy produced integrates either with your existing electrical connection or with your batteries, the running of your electrical equipment is not impacted. Moreover, if your Solar PV system is designed well, all your electrical equipment is totally safe.
Solar PV system needs light to generate electricity. If Sunlight is low, as on a cloudy day, the solar system still generates electricity but the generation is lower. This reduced generation, however, may not create any disruptions for you. If you have a grid-connected Solar PV system, electricity will be automatically sourced from the grid in case Solar PV generates less. In case of an off-grid system with battery backup, energy will be sourced from the storage battery.
When you are not at home, your solar system continues to work and run any equipment that may be switched on such as refrigerators, security systems, etc. In case your energy consumption is less than the solar system’s generation, the excess energy will be fed to the grid. To avail this feature, you should opt for Net Metering.
Every Solar PV system is customized based on your site conditions. Therefore, you need a fair assessment of your energy requirements, site conditions and the solar energy generation potential at your site which would directly impact your savings.
A 1 kW rooftop system generally requires 10 to 12 sq. meters (110
to 130 square feet). Based on the space available, you can
fulfil your entire electricity requirement through solar.
Solar systems are modular in nature and you can increase your
system size anytime if your energy needs go up.
Solar Power generation depends upon several factors like
location, orientation of roof/ land, shadowing objects, ambient
temperature, solar system quality, etc.
Considering all of the above factors, typically, in a sunny
area, a 1 kW system generates 4.0 to 4.5 units (kWh) which can
run 4 lights (4*20W), 2 fans (2*75W), 1 TV (80W) and 1
refrigerator (150W) for 10 hours.
Based on your installed capacity, you can easily calculate the
generation of your solar system
The Sun and therefore solar power is available only during the day. Therefore, to cater to your night time load it is recommended not to reduce your existing sanctioned load. The HRIM Solar Calculator shows your accurate savings potential considering all such factors.
Installing a solar PV system should lead to significant savings in your monthly electricity bill. The savings would depend on your location, consumer category and energy consumption pattern. As a thumb rule, the higher your tariff and the proportion of energy consumption during the day, the more are your savings. Check your monthly & lifetime savings on the HRIM Calculator.
The Solar PV modules are backed by suppliers’ guarantee of 25 years or more. In fact, the modules have been known to generate electricity even up to 40 years. Know more about Solar PV system guarantees & warranties.
Solar panels age with you, though at a much lower pace. It is usual to see a very small degradation in energy output with time which is due to the very nature of the solar module technology. Generally, annual degradation of modules is in the range of 0.3% to 0.5%. However, in the first year of your installation, this degradation may be higher.
HRIM calculator uses sophisticated algorithms to accurately estimate your customized lifetime solar energy potential.
From the cost perspective, the CAPEX model of going solar is considered the best model of buying solar followed by DPA and PPA. The reason behind this consideration is that since the cost solar PV system is paid upfront under CAPEX, the cost of solar energy is lower in CAPEX than in DPA and PPA. Under DPA, the cost of the solar system is split into monthly instalments and the entire cost of installation is initially borne by the installer, you are therefore required to pay a minimum interest in your monthly instalments. This increases the overall cost of the solar system. Under PPA, the Solar PV installation cost is borne by the installer and you only pay for the per unit cost of electricity that you consume and therefore the Levelized cost of solar energy is higher in PPA than in CAPEX and DPA.
Also, additional benefits like Accelerated depreciation and relaxation in taxes can only be availed in CAPEX or DPA, because availing these benefits requires ownership of the solar system.
To get an estimate of the solar tariff that you may be required to pay if you solarize your business under PPA, you can run the HRIM Solar Calculator. The calculator will show you your estimated solar tariff for a PPA ranging from 10 to 25 years. You will also be able to compare the solar tariff to the levelized cost of solar energy if you went solar under the CAPEX or DPA(Deferred Payment Agreement) model. With the advanced feature of the calculator you will also be able to check an estimate of the total cost of solar energy your business will be paying throughout its solar journey at a given solar tariff.
Gross-metering is often confused to be a synonym of net-metering. However, it is not. In the case of net-metering, the power generated by the solar system is first used for self-consumption and if there is any leftover surplus energy, only then it is transferred to the grid in exchange for compensation. Net-metering requires installing of a bi-directional meter because in net-metering both the import and export of energy is taken into account to calculate the net consumption of electricity. But in the case of gross-metering, a unidirectional meter is installed to track the total export of electricity from the solar system to the grid.
Gross metering makes sense for those property owners who have idle space and don’t need to generate solar power for their own consumption. They can install a solar system to utilise the idle space and export the entire generated energy to the grid in exchange for financial benefit.
Buying a Solar PV system under CAPEX Model: You purchase the Solar PV system and pay the 100% cost of the solar system upfront. This allows you to get the best deal as you would be saving any additional cost such as interest rates.
Buying a Solar System under a Deferred Payment Agreement(DPA): You purchase the solar system at a downpayment of 25~30% and defer the remaining capital cost of the system in easy instalments at lucrative interest rates. The benefits of buying solar under DPA is that it makes going solar affordable and flexible. With HRIM DPA you also get an option to make your own payment plan and keep your monthly instalment less than or equal to your monthly power bills. This will help your solar system pay for itself.
Buying a Solar System by opting for a Solar Loan: You purchase a Solar system and opt for a solar loan to pay the 100% cost of the solar system to your solar installer. Under this model of buying solar, though you buy the solar system at the CAPEX cost you are required to pay off the loan at an agreed-upon interest rate.
Buying only solar power under RESCO/ Power Purchase Agreement(PPA) Model: You do not purchase the solar system but only the solar energy produced by the solar system. A solar power developer owns the Solar PV system set up on your rooftop/ land. You only pay for the generated electricity at a pre-agreed tariff. This usually requires a long-term buying commitment and guarantees from your side and entails a lengthy credit appraisal process. This mode of buying solar is usually available to only commercial and industrial power consumers.
Equipment leasing: An equipment leasing company will lease the Solar PV system to you and will charge you a fixed monthly/ periodic fee. This also requires long term commitments and guarantees from buyers. However, equipment leasing is not widely available as of now. Click here for more information.
From the financial return point of view, buying a solar PV system is more beneficial than buying solar power. When you buy a solar system, you become the owner of the solar system and it adds to the property value of your building. Also, once the Return on Investment is achieved within a period of 3~4 years, the power generated by your solar system is available to you virtually for free. The ownership of the solar system also brings the benefits of accelerated depreciation and tax redemptions which is a great financial benefit for commercial and industrial power consumers.
If you choose to buy solar power instead of the solar system,
you are relieved from paying the capital cost of the solar
system. This reduces the cost of going solar initially as you
are required to pay just the per unit cost of solar power that
you will be consuming. However, in the longer run, i.e. 20~25
years, the amount spent on the solar power consumed surpasses
the capital cost and the operation and maintenance cost of the
solar system. Since you won’t own the solar system here, this
also takes away the accelerated depreciation and tax redemption
benefits that you could have availed if you had owned the solar
system. Having said that, buying solar power is a good deal for
large power consumers such as an industry or a business setup
who have most of their funds employed in their working capital.
This way these businesses can enjoy the benefits of low cost
power without having to struggle to pay for the capital cost of
the solar system upfront.
You can know the estimated cost
that you will have to incur in both buying a solar system or
buying a solar power by running the HRIM Solar Calculator.
You have three options that you can go for in order to avail a solar loan for your solar PV system:
Solar loan from your Solar Company: Under this you can check if your solar installer provides any financing facility to make your solar system affordable. At HRIM, we have pioneered various deferred payment plans to help both residential, commercial and Industrial power consumers go solar in easy and flexible instalment payment plans.
Solar loan from Bank: There are various banks which offer solar specific loans to its consumers. Most of these come with lucrative interest rates and require low collaterals.
Solar loan from NBFCs: You can also explore various Non Banking Financing Companies to avail solar loans. At HRIM we have partnered with various NBFCs to help our consumers avail solar loans from NBFCs under one roof.
Yes, Solar PV systems can be easily dismantled and moved. However, the exact possibility depends on the structure on which your solar panels are installed. If the built of your rooftop is as such that dismantling the panels will damage the rooftop, then moving the solar system might not be a good idea. It might cost you for the renovation of the rooftop as well as the dismantling and the installation cost of the solar system in the new location
If you have gone solar under the RESCO(PPA) model, then the transferring rights of the solar system will depend on the contract that you have signed with the solar system owner/installer. This might also affect the terms and conditions of the contract and therefore you should discuss the movement with the system owner/installer.
Relocating the solar system might also affect the insurance and the warranty benefits of your solar system. If you own the solar system, do check the warranty and insurance details before making the relocation.
The mechanism of net-metering can be availed only if your building mains is connected to the grid. Therefore it can only be installed with on-grid and hybrid solar systems. The availability of net-metering varies from state to state and depends on the solar policy of your state. For example, in the state of Rajasthan, the net-metering is only available to power consumers going solar under the residential category. For commercial and industrial consumers of the state the facility is available only above a certain sanctioned load.
Yes, you will need to get your meter replaced with a bidirectional energy meter as per the process of your local discom at a nominal charge. Typically your system installer will help you with the process.
Solar PV system costs vary depending on the size of the
system. On an average, an on-grid system of a size up to
10kWp costs Rs. 50-74/Wp, between 10 – 100 kWp costs Rs.
35-50/Wp and above 100KWp costs Rs. 34-36/Wp systems.
For utility-scale solar projects, costs can be even
lower than Rs. 30/Wp. However, for off-grid systems with
battery backup cost goes up significantly and lies between
Rs.100 -125/ Wp.
To Determine the system size and cost
most relevant to you, run the HRIM Solar Calculator now!
It makes sense to evaluate your
upfront system cost by converting it into Rs/ kWh (per unit
cost) also known as levellized cost. That helps you compare the
cost of your solar power with that from the grid.
Illustration for an average residential customer in Delhi:
A 2kW Solar PV system costs around Rs 1.4 lacs and has a
life of at least 25 years with low recurring costs. This
translates to a per unit levellized cost of Rs7 – 8 /kWh for the
next 25 years
Lets compare this with the cost of grid power.
The discom charges him slab-wise but on an average he pays Rs
7.3/kWh. And this price keeps increasing by about 5% per annum,
which means you may be paying Rs 24.7/kWh at the end of 25
years. This translates to a per unit levellized cost of approx.
Rs 10 – 11/kWh when compared with the 25 year life of Solar PV
system
If you do not own a Solar PV system and just buy solar power from a developer, the per unit cost will be higher as the developer will add his expenses, profit margin, cost of risk, etc. over and above the cost of the Solar PV system. Therefore your cost per unit of power under the RESCO model will always be significantly higher than the cost per unit when you own the Solar PV system.
Most insurance companies nowadays
provide policies to insure your Solar PV system. These policies
usually insure your solar system from the threats of fire and
burglary, machinery breakdown and other natural calamities as
per the details of the policy.
Since going solar is a sizable investment, the returns from
which you will reap over a period of 25 years, it is therefore
important that you don’t just insure your solar system but
secure it for better performance. To help our customers with the
same, we at HRIM, offer comprehensive service and maintenance
packages to our clients across India. These packages include not
just solar system insurance but warranty, breakdown maintenance,
preventive maintenance, regular cleaning, system
performance monitoring support and etc to our clients. With a
minimum amount, our clients are able to keep their solar
investment safe for the complete 25 years of their solar
journey.
Most insurance companies nowadays provide policies to insure your Solar PV system. Diesel Generators (DG) are not just a highly expensive means of power generation but are also extremely damaging to the environment. And contrary to popular belief, the cost of energy from home inverters is also very high. The cost of power from a typical DG in a housing society is Rs. 17 – 18/ unit (kWh), while from a typical home inverter it is Rs. 14/ unit (kWh). In comparison, solar is a much cheaper and cleaner source of energy.
For most Indian electricity
consumers, the answer is Go Solar Now!
Solar PV system is a proven technology which reduces electricity
bills and with today’s reduced capital cost of the solar system,
the Levelized Cost of Solar electricity is lower than the grid
electricity tariff for a lot of consumers.
Moreover, going
solar helps you cut down on your electricity expenses from day
one. And delaying your decision will lead to a monetary loss
because you will be paying what you could have saved.
However, if your cost of grid electricity is very low, it
may make sense to wait for some time. Run the HRIM Solar
Calculator to get an unbiased view on if you should go solar now
or wait.
Most insurance companies nowadays provide policies to insure your Solar PV system. Diesel Generators (DG) are not just a highly expensive means of power generation but are also extremely damaging to the environment. And contrary to popular belief, the cost of energy from home inverters is also very high. The cost of power from a typical DG in a housing society is Rs. 17 – 18/ unit (kWh), while from a typical home inverter it is Rs. 14/ unit (kWh). In comparison, solar is a much cheaper and cleaner source of energy.
For most Indian electricity
consumers, the answer is Go Solar Now!
Solar PV system is a proven technology which reduces electricity
bills and with today’s reduced capital cost of the solar system,
the Levelized Cost of Solar electricity is lower than the grid
electricity tariff for a lot of consumers.
Moreover, going
solar helps you cut down on your electricity expenses from day
one. And delaying your decision will lead to a monetary loss
because you will be paying what you could have saved.
However, if your cost of grid electricity is very low, it
may make sense to wait for some time. Run the HRIM Solar
Calculator to get an unbiased view on if you should go solar now
or wait.
Not much. You just need to ensure that there is clear access to the site for movement of material and manpower and that your site is clear from any unwanted material. The solar installer may need access to power & water.
No, there will not be any interruption in your power supply.
The two primary aspects of maintaining a solar PV system are
to regularly monitor your system’s performance through the
data logger and to clean the panels about 6-10 times in a
year.
Beyond this, it is advisable to have your
installer conduct at least two visits in a year just to
check the general health of your system.
Yes, the system installer will!
But it is better to discuss and finalize all of these things
with the installer before signing the contract.
Different installers may consider different parameters (like system size, equipment makes, energy generation potential, etc.) while quoting for your Solar PV system. This makes the comparison and your decision making difficult. HRIM enables you to make an apple-to-apple comparison through its easy-to-use tools.
When comparing quotes, some of the critical parameters to consider are price, equipment make & specifications, guarantees & warranties, payment terms, installer credentials, etc.
This is a device that helps you as well as your installer/ O&M contractor to monitor your Solar PV system’s performance on a real time basis on your mobile phone or laptop. Data logger indicates parameters like generation on a daily, monthly & yearly basis, plant performance ratio, etc. and can send alerts in case of any faults or low generation. The device can also be configured to send you regular performance reports through SMS and email.
The generation from your Solar PV system depends on the quality of your system, the solar irradiation and the quality of maintenance. Performance Ratio (PR) is a measure of the quality of your system, whereas, Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) is the overall metric that takes into account both the quality as well as the solar irradiation. For example, if the quality (and hence the PR) of your system is low, even if the solar irradiation is high, your CUF (generation) will be low, and vice versa. To know how to calculate PR & CUF, click here.
On-Grid: An on-grid system is interconnected with your existing electrical system. The solar energy generated is simultaneously consumed, and if the solar panels are not generating sufficient energy to cater to your consumption, the differential is automatically sourced from the grid. It is also possible to connect the system with batteries, home inverters, diesel generators, etc.
Off Grid: An off-grid system is an independent, battery-backed Solar PV system which is not connected with grid. During daytime, solar energy generated runs your appliances. Any excess energy is stored in the batteries, which can be utilized at night. Off-grid systems are used for standalone applications like traffic & streetlights, billboards, agricultural pumps, telecom towers, rural applications, etc.
On-grid Solar PV systems are designed to run with grid power. Therefore the system will not be able to function if grid power is not available. This is a safety feature to avoid feeding power back into the grid while the line-men are working on the grid. If you want power from solar PV system during grid failure, you can choose an inverter that can use other sources of power like diesel generator or batteries etc.
KWp is the nameplate rating of Solar PV modules and kW is the actual power delivered to the load. For instance, a 0.3kWp (300Wp nameplate) module under ideal conditions (25 degrees C and 1000 watts per sq. metre radiation, etc.) will give an output of 0.3kW. However, in real life weather conditions, the output will be lower than the nameplate rating which is denoted in kW.
Both are units of power , kW is active power whereas kVA is the apparent power because only a certain portion of the available kVA can be utilized kVA=kW+kVAR. If you take a mug of coffee, you can see its two component coffee+ foam. Here the portion of coffee is active power(kW), foam is reactive power caused by certain electrical equipment, and coffee + foam is apparent power (kVA).
Every solar installation is site specific. Therefore, the layout and the design of your Solar PV system has to be determined after a thorough engineering analysis. In this exercise, things like the tilt of the solar panels, the gap between different rows of solar panels, any shadowing objects, specification of solar equipment, cable sizing, arrangement of solar panels, etc. go a long way in ensuring that that your system generation is optimized for the next 25 years.
Solar Panels do not require much cleaning. Generally it is recommended to wash your panels in 30 to 45 days in summer, 45 to 60 days in winter. Cleaning in rainy season is not required as the rain does all the cleaning for you.
Cleaning of solar panels is as simple as cleaning your car or house windows. Just ensure that you use clean water..
Solar installation methodology is proven and safe. A wide range of installation techniques are available and depending on your roof type a suitable methodology can be adopted.
At HRIM Solar Solutions, we're not just in the business of installing solar plants, we're dedicated to illuminating a sustainable future. As a passionate team of renewable energy enthusiasts, we believe that every solar panel we install is a step towards a cleaner, greener planet.
