Solar Panels generate Electricity with Sunlight and is the most important component of the system. A good solar panels has a conversion ratio of 15% or more. The efficiency is 99% percent and decreases by 1% every year and hence after the use of 20 years, it operates at 80% of the efficiency and generally advised to be replaced. Panels are normally provided in the capacity of 250 Watt or 300 Watt. So, when we build 1 Kilowatt system, we take 250 Wp x 4 Panels and connect them in series.
Major Panel manufacturers in India are Vikram Solar, Akshay Solar, HHV, Waree and many more. We are promoting REC, Norway Panels which are manufactured in Singapore for their higher performance and 12 years of Mfg Warranty and 25 years of performance warranty.
This structure holds the Panels with intended angle and protects them against wind pressure. The structure is responsible for stability of the entire set-up. The quality of structure is mainly responsible for the long-life of the set-up. It is mostly powder coated or galvanized so as to resist the weather for a period of 15 to 20 years.
Normally, if the terrace space is sufficient, we need simple mounting structure which is included as a part of our standard costing. However, in some cases the area available is less, non-uniform, slopping/reverse slopping, etc. In such case, after the site survey, we need to design a suitable structure for the client. This is called super structure/custom structure. The cost of this is usually quoted and collected separately as it does not form the part of standard costing. In metro cities where the terrace space is also a premium, people ask us to construct a canopy over which we can mount the panels. This allows them to use the terrace space as per their needs. This also prevents the terrace from heating up in summer and gives a overall cooler effect to the top floor residents.
Solar Inverter is the heart of the system and is responsible for accepting the Solar DC Power generated and converting it to AC power. The efficiency of the Inverter plays a major role as the losses must be kept to minimum. Inverters above efficiency level of 97% are only to be selected.
We recommend Zever and Delta brands as they are world-class quality and also offer us 5 years of warranty.
Advanced solar inverters also provide us a communication module through which we can establish a connection and read the data it stores. So we can know daily generation, cumulative generation, instantaneous generation levels, etc. If provided a wifi connection, this data can be stored on internet and we can view it from anywhere over the net.
We use a specially manufactured Earth rod (with bentonite powder) for effective earthing. The earthing rod is placed in a 3 feet deep enclosure and a double cable (copper) is attached (for redundancy). The earthing has an active life of 5 years without much maintenance.
The earth of output of Solar Inverter is connected with load side earthing.
Cables, connectors and joints are all used of premium quality (Polycab, FinOlex, etc.) in order to ensure good and maintenance free performance. The cables are enclosed in PVC or Industrial grade conduits.
Normally, 10 sq, mm Copper Armoured cable is used for carrying the power from Panels to the input of Solar Inverter. This ensures that the losses are minimum.
All components used have an active life of 10 years after which we request the client to inspect and offer to change the wiring (if required) at a reasonable cost. This ensures the optimum performance of the system.
Overall maintenance of the set-up and keeping panels clean and dust-free is the responsibility of customer.
