Luminous Solar Systems

Solar system for home

Energy is the most important aspect of advancement and development of mankind. Without energy, there will be no innovation, no invention and mankind will have to compromise with the lack of advancement. However, the sources of energy that are traditionally used by the mankind, such as coal, petroleum etc. is coming to an end.

 

That is why; the world needs to switch to the primary source of energy, where the entire animal kingdom or plant kingdom receives energy from, is the Sun. Utilizing the solar energy is the best way to fight this problem. There was a time, when the solar energy was trapped and used only in the rural areas, where there was a lack of other electricity sources or in the industrial belts, where there is a huge demand of energy. But, now you can easily access the solar system for home.

Whatever the type you choose for powering your home, it is important to check the service provider for right installations and services like end to- end EPC solutions, operation, and maintenance.

 

Types of solar system for home

 

There are various options to select the best one for your home as not all the solar systems are same. The two main types of solar system for home are:

1) On grid solar power systems without batteries

These are the common types of solar power system used in homes today. It is designed to work with the grid alone. Thus, it is a combination of solar panels and grid. As these systems depend on the reference voltage provided by the grid for their operations, grid-tied systems do not work when the grid is down.

advantage

• Self-independency on power and sell access electricity to state government
• 5 years payback time and free electricity for next 20 years

drawbacks

• When grid power fails, solar power system too fails.

 

2) Off grid solar power systems

It can be seen in deep rural areas where there is no frequent power cuts. Off-grid systems are designed to operate independent of the grid, these systems sync with batteries. Battery based systems used to be of smaller capacity due to the cost involved, but the rising cost of other power sources, and the lack of power at any cost has seen a steady increase in battery based system sizes

advantage

• Complete energy independence
• Energy necessities won’t get impacted with power outages

drawbacks

• Expensive than the on grid system

7 Best tips you should know before buying solar system for home

1. Don’t be carried away by advertisements:

Since more and more people are leaning towards acquiring the solar power system for their homes, many companies have come into this business. With loads of advertisements, they try to influence the buyers. However, you must not be carried away by these advertisements in excitement. It is always better that you seek for recommendations.

You must ask your friends, family members, neighbors or even colleagues, if they have installed the home solar system kit in their homes. Ask them about the brand or company that they have chosen. There are a few things that you must ask them –

• The service quality
• Ease of installation
• Problems if any

It is only after you get satisfactory answers for these questions that you should proceed towards choosing that company or brand.

2. Understand the material and choose the best one:

While buying the off grid solar power systems the first thing that you need to be careful about is the type of panel that you are choosing. There are two kinds of panels available in the market –

• Monocrystalline:

These are made up of uniform crystals, made from pure and large silicone crystal bars. Since the panels are uniform, they are more efficient, eliminating the space wastage. These panels can absorb massive amounts of solar energy in strong sunlight. But absorption is reduced when light condition reduces.

• Polycrystalline:

These are purified and moulded crystal panels. These are less efficient, but are less expensive than the monocrystalline panels.

Both of these panels have their unique properties. You must choose the one that fits your needs and budget.

3. Be realistic about the budget:

The solar system for home in India is not very cheap. But, you must understand that with this one time investment, you are actually potentially saving huge for the future. Your energy bills are going to be reduced significantly. All that you have to pay for is the minimal maintenance charges that you would have to otherwise pay for the traditional power systems. Hence, to make sure that you don’t have to pay huge on these solar power kits for repairing and maintenance purposes, choose the best quality ones that will last for long.

4. Understand the location and choose the kit:

The location or area in which you are going to install the solar power system for home plays a huge role. If you live in an area, where there is uninterrupted strong sunlight most of the time of the year, you can go for the mono-crystalline systems.

If you live in an area where there is a scarcity of direct or strong sunlight, go for the poly-crystalline ones. This will absorb the sun from different directions.

5. Look for certifications:

This is one of the most important tips that you must follow, while you are buying your solar power kit. Look for the certifications that your system has. It applies to all kinds of solar panel systems that you are buying. The certifications indicate the type of testing that has been done on the panels. There are certain types that bring you government rebates. Go for them if you need to save money on the best solar system for home.

6. Solar inverter:

The solar inverter is very crucial for the solar system for home. It converts the absorbed DC current into usable AC current. The better is the solar inverter; the less will be the waste of the power that is conserved. This will have a direct impact on your savings.

7. Check the mounting system:

If you want to know how much do solar panels save, you must consider all other factors that are associated with it. One of them is the mounting system. The best mounting systems will ensure that the chance of the solar panels being unmounted during a wild storm is less. If you live in an area that is cyclone prone, this is especially important.

There are two types of mounting options – the flush mounting, which is an easy to install and cost-effective mounting option; and the other one is the roof or floor mounting. The latter is a little bit more expensive, but makes sure that the solar power system lasts for long. Flush mounting is good for those areas that are not cyclone prone. But if the area is prone to cyclones, the mounting should be done with the roof or the floor, to secure the system.

So, it is now time that you switch to the solar systems for homes for power generation and usage. It is the most eco-friendly choice and the world needs this switch. Save your money and also save the planet. Be prepared for a world that has to switch to solar power in the near future.

How Much Does solar System for home Cost?

The cost of a rooftop solar PV system depends on the function it serves (to feed power into the grid, to support the load during a power failure, etc.) and incentives/subsidies available. It should be noted that all solar PV systems function by matching the voltage from some other source. Therefore the system has to be integrated with the grid or a battery backup.

Price of solar system for home

At Loom solar.com, we are regularly asked the cost break-up and particular of rooftop solar power plants. But before answering that, let’s list down the components of a rooftop plant:

• Inverters that convert DC electricity to AC form
• Cables : DC cables convey current from panels to inverters and AC cables from inverters to loads
• Mounting Structures : They support the panels on the rooftops
• Electrical Peripherals: These include Junction Boxes, Earthling, Lightning Arrestors, and Conduits etc. All of these are highly specific to the design of the power plant
• Lastly another cost component is the actual supervision, design and installation for the power plant

 

Loom Solar estimates a rooftop solar power plant to cost between ₹ 75 – 100 per Watt, depending on the quality of components chosen. We have given ballpark numbers for the costs of rooftop power plant components below – and this holds for 2018:

 

Component	Cost/Watt (Rs.)
Solar modules	35-45
Inverters	8-14
Cables	2-3
Structures	4-6
Peripherals (JBs, DC protection systems, earthling, lightning arrestor)	3
Supervision, design and installation	5

 

Note:

We have not considered battery backup as that can alter the economics significantly depending on the extent of battery backup required. Not only do batteries add to the initial cost, recurring maintenance, and replacement expenditure, the energy loss on charging and drawing from the battery also adds to the cost of power. A battery backup could add significant costs to the above system.

Subsidies & Incentives

Several incentives are available for rooftop solar PV plants in India. While the specifics of the incentives could vary from state to state, these incentives broadly fall under the following categories:

 

• Capital Subsidy - Governments in India provides capital subsidy in many states for the investment made for rooftop solar power plants. The subsidy on capital investment of solar system is ₹ 20,000 per kW or 30% of system cost whichever is lesser.

 

• Accelerated Depreciation (AD) - Accelerated depreciation of 80% is available until March, 2019 under the Income Tax act for rooftop solar PV systems. The depreciation benefit to a maximum of 40% can be claimed every year from April 1st, 2018

 

• Income Tax Credits - Investment tax credits work similar to capital subsidies. Here, instead of a direct subsidy on the capital cost, your income tax is deducted by the amount of incentive.

 

The final cost to setup the solar system for office, factory, after factoring in Accelerated Depreciation and Subsidy benefit will be:

 

Final cost of 10 kW rooftop solar system
Item	Rs.
Cost of a 10 kW rooftop solar plant (A)	7,50,000
Subsidy @ 30% or 20,000 per kW (B)	- 2,00,000
Net cost after subsidy	5,50,000
Accelerated depreciation @40%	2,20,000
Tax rate	35%
Tax saved through depreciation (C)	-77,000
Final Cost to consumer after benefits (A-B-C)	4,73,000

 

Variations in Pricing

 Prices of solar PV systems offered by various manufacturers can differ significantly. There can be several reasons for the variations in price, such as

Overstatement of capacity

Some manufacturers advertise a rooftop system with 1 KW modules (solar panels) and a 5 kW inverter as a 5 KW system. As the electricity is generated by the modules this system only has a 1 kW capacity and the price offered by the manufactured should be compared with other 1 KW systems and not 5 kW plants

Brands – Products from Tier I manufacturers are typically more expensive but offer much better performance and reliability

 

Certifications/Standards – Products that are certified and meet quality standards are more expensive

 

Warranties – The price of the system can depend on the warranties offered. Solar Panels – Industry standard warranty is

• 10-year manufacturer warranty
• 25- year performance warranty

 

Other systems – Inverters, mounting structures, cables, junction boxes, etc. typically come with a 1 year manufacturer warranty which can be extended to 5 years.

Solar system for home price list

Indian homes installs up to 10 kw solar system while the business and factory installs up to 25 kW on grid solar system. the price list of 1 kw - 25 kw on grid system is as follows 

On grid solar system	Price (all inclusive)
1 kw	₹ 90,000
2 kw	₹ 1,70,000
3 kw	₹ 2,40,000
5 kw	₹ 3,75,000
10 kw	₹ 7,50,000
25 kw	₹ 18,75,000

 

Off grid solar energy powered system price list 

In India, up to 10 kW solar system is designed to work with batteries, here is the price list of solar energy powered solar system from 1 kW to 10 kW. 

Off grid solar system	Price (all inclusive)
300 watt	₹ 45,000
1 kw	₹ 1,03,000
2 kw	₹ 2,10,000
3 kw	₹ 3,15,000
5 kw	₹ 5,15,000
10 kw	₹ 10,15,000