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Old 9th May 2019, 13:46   #136
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by PGA View Post
Broadly speaking your max charging current requirement is 14-15 amps for a 150 AH battery. So consider buying 12 V panels with a total charging capacity of 350 to 450W, rig up solar charge converter with a changeover from mains to solar and vice a versa and you are good to go.

The whole setup shouldn't cost you more than 12-13K and you can do it yourself in about 30 mins.
Sounds excellent, Thank You PGA.
Could You please give some references, for I am still learning the jargons!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Holyghost View Post
On-Grid systems do not work during power cuts and hence will not serve your purpose. There are Hybrid Grid-Tie inverters which has built in option for adding a battery, but the costs are too high.
Since you already have an Inverter and battery, just buy this or similar device from other manufacturers, add a few Solar Panels and you are good to go.
Thank You Holyghost
Is this similar to the one PGA had mentioned in his post? Again, as I am still learning, I am not sure if I can do them myself. Some references, if You may have will help.
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Old 9th May 2019, 15:21   #137
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Hello Everyone,

The battery of our invertor seems to have given up and we had been thinking what should our next move be.
We live on the top floor in a West facing apartment, was thinking whether it is possible to

- Install solar panels and connect to the battery through a hybrid inverter
- The battery would get charged by sunlight and through electricity as well
- During the day hours I could close a few MCBs for fan/tv/light/mobile charging and run it on battery which is powered through solar

Is this set-up possible and easily doable?

And if possible, does this need some kind of approval or need to be informed to the electricity board.

Cheers,
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Old 9th May 2019, 15:49   #138
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Storm/Hurricane/Rains Damaged Solar Panels - Live to Die another Day

This post is a afterthought by me after getting a bunch of whatsapp forwards about Ground Zero in Odisha post Hurricane "Fani". I noticed a pic where 10s 100s of Solar panels were lying all over the place and mostly likely deemed damaged or scrapped.

What you read below should be a hope-giver to anyone who has invested in a expensive Solar panel and his or her heart sinks after seeing their damaged PV Solar panel.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oct-2014

We moved to our new home and decided to get a small solar power backup just to keep the UPS batteries charged. My intent was not to reduce the bills, just to keep the batteries charged for the night since my town is infamous for its power outages. Got a pair of "EMMVEE" 300W panels from Bangalore via a local agent. 600W panels were just enough to provide a secondary charge my 100Ah+100Ah batteries during daylight.

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-name.jpg

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-first-fit.jpg

Probably in hindsight, the install was just not enough and needed proper grouting, but lesson learnt the hard way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sep-2018

A gusty wind and rain hits my town and the CCTV from my home shows what happened to my PV Panels which came down from my 2nd floor terrace (about 30~ feet downward drop). Landed in one edge and took out a panel to shreds...



Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-panel.jpeg

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-panel2.jpeg

The entire skid was held by a wire which is missing here, and ended up damaging the panel terminal box.

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-panel3.jpeg

Even the heavy pots couldnt stand the wind.

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-pot.jpg


But... God was kind with me in this case. Called my master electrician and refit the panel, it works like a charm till date. (Need to check with a multimeter at the terminal box, even is a faint V is detected them the circuit is complete, will work)

This is the present setup (with a few more boulders to weigh them down) since last 8 months, absolutely no issues with the V Generated.

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-refit.jpg

Hope this post serves some solace to PV Panel owners.
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Old 9th May 2019, 16:17   #139
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Wow, you were lucky that setup didn't hit any person or car. Looks like a close shave.

Solar power is still a maybe-one-day to me. Anchoring the panel assembly is something I'll take very seriously when I do. Probably anchor bolts into terrace, plus concrete work around legs.
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Old 9th May 2019, 20:48   #140
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa View Post
Sounds excellent, Thank You PGA.
Could You please give some references, for I am still learning the jargons!
I personally use the following charge controller, do check the net for cheapest deal on the product.
https://www.loomsolar.com/products/l...rge-controller

I have Vikram make solar panels, do check out local wholesale dealers in your area you should be able to source a good brand panel of about 100 W for less than 3k. Just check the rating voltage it should be 12 V as 24 V wont fit on single 150AH battery setup.

Lastly you would need to connect the panels in parallel, if you have more than 1 panel.
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Old 9th May 2019, 21:10   #141
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trojan View Post

And if possible, does this need some kind of approval or need to be informed to the electricity board.
Feeding the power distribution grid requires approval. You can set it up NOT to feed power to the grid, and that kind of setup does not need any approval.

You can consider a battery less setup and use only mains power to charge the inverter battery. This, ofcourse is a grid connected setup and requires approval.

You should first look at the entry against "Connected load" in your power bill, and also the consumption as a starting point. Also, ensure that the panels are accessible for periodic cleaning. District can seriously reduce power production.
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Old 10th May 2019, 14:38   #142
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by PGA View Post
I personally use the following charge controller, do check the net for cheapest deal on the product.
https://www.loomsolar.com/products/l...rge-controller

I have Vikram make solar panels, do check out local wholesale dealers in your area you should be able to source a good brand panel of about 100 W for less than 3k. Just check the rating voltage it should be 12 V as 24 V wont fit on single 150AH battery setup.

Lastly you would need to connect the panels in parallel, if you have more than 1 panel.
Thank You again PGA.
I will check these out and also reach out to dealers nearby.

Would write to You again, if I need clarity.
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Old 15th June 2019, 13:12   #143
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

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Originally Posted by rrsteer View Post
For the whole year the solar panel generates about 21% of our household requirement. I wish I could increase that figure but with 8 panels and a terrace garden - I have no space left.
My investment in solar generator is proving to be a great financial investment too. For the latest billing cycle - Feb to April consumption period, I was charged for only 591 units, out of a total consumption of 985 units. I saved around Rs 2800 on my electricity bill. This cycle included periods of continuous rain (feb end to March end), winter (early Feb) and summer (late April). So I can assume this billing is a proxy for the whole year. Extrapolating the saving to the full year I save Rs17k odd and on an investment of Rs171k. thats almost a risk free return of ~10%. FDs give me a return of ~7% and can thought to be having the same risk profile. I am simply loving this close to 45% extra return. The returns are even more as these are TAX FREE!

My solar wish: I had more space to put up more panels in my current house.
My solar dream: I bought a little less than 1 acre land in a village 18kms from where I live. I hope to build a one room set there, totally powered by solar and which will be off-grid.
Now if you guys can share some ideas how to conserve water, especially the grey water, it would be great.

Last edited by rrsteer : 15th June 2019 at 13:17.
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Old 15th June 2019, 13:41   #144
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

One should not assess performance of the solar unit on basis of cash saved. This is because the tariff varies depending on consumption and, often, "telescoping" might not be available at certain consumption levels. Thus, while you may, say use 220 units, you will be paying x for first n units, y for next few units, etc. But if your usage goes beyond 250 or 300 units, in Kerala, the applicable rate will be very high, and will be applicable for entire consumption.

Yes, it is a feel good thing when bill goes from 4 to 3 digits. But for assessing performance of the solar set up, please count the units of energy.
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Old 15th June 2019, 14:56   #145
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

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Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR View Post
One should not assess performance of the solar unit on basis of cash saved. ....
It's valid as a personal experience, but I agree that units of energy would be more useful to others.

rrsteer, glad you are happy there!

I'm envious. We are having the longest power cut I have experienced outside of natural-disaster times. Not sure what time it started yesterday evening, but its been all night and all day so far, and its 3pm now.

Generator has permitted to make one room cool, but wish I had solar!
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Old 9th July 2019, 13:51   #146
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Toyota Covers Prius Prime With Solar Panels That Also Charge Battery On The Move.

Quote:
the goal is “to assess the effectiveness of improvements in cruising range and fuel efficiency of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries
Quote:
Most importantly, the demo car uses a system that charges the driving battery both while the car is parked and when on the move.
Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-f6514bc5toyotapriusphvdemocarwithsolarpanels11024x683.jpg

Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)-f065d397toyotapriusphvdemocarwithsolarpanels3.jpg

Quote:
Toyota is well aware of that and has announced a plan to begin public road trials from late July 2019 with Prius PHV (aka Prius Prime in the U.S.) vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries.

The trials will take place in Japan and benefit from the support of Sharp Corporation and the country’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). As part of the program, Sharp will supply onboard solar battery panels using high-efficiency cells.
Link

Last edited by volkman10 : 9th July 2019 at 13:53.
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Old 23rd July 2019, 19:00   #147
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Yesterday our 10 year old inverter konked off. I want to replace it with a solar based inverter. Have received a quote of Rs 95k + 8.5% GST for two 315W panels, two 150Ah solar batteries, PCU, fitment and labor. This would be an off-grid system. I am told the system would first charge the batteries, once that is done it will cut the mains supply and the house electricity would be drawn directly from solar energy, provided the load is under a certain value (I was told if 4 fans + 4-5 15 w bulbs are being used at a time).

When the load increases, the system will first try to provide power through the batteries. If the batteries can take the full load, they will continue to supply power till they get drained by 20% of their value. I am also told, this doesn't effect the functioning of my on-grid solar system. I am quite sold, and want to have it installed. Any one has experience installing such a system at their homes?, if yes, how is the performance?

The biggest roadblock at this point is my family, who are not ready to vacate more space to install the panels and they find the idea radical, as in want a traditional inverter so that there are no surprises in case of a power cut.
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Old 23rd July 2019, 19:17   #148
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What is your average daily electricity consumption in units? You can try to find the figure from your bill. Your planning / designing ideally should start from here.
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Old 23rd July 2019, 20:32   #149
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by rrsteer View Post
Yesterday our 10 year old inverter konked off. I want to replace it with a solar based inverter. Have received a quote of Rs 95k + 8.5% GST for two 315W panels, two 150Ah solar batteries, PCU, fitment and labor. This would be an off-grid system. I am told the system would first charge the batteries, once that is done it will cut the mains supply and the house electricity would be drawn directly from solar energy, provided the load is under a certain value (I was told if 4 fans + 4-5 15 w bulbs are being used at a time).

When the load increases, the system will first try to provide power through the batteries. If the batteries can take the full load, they will continue to supply power till they get drained by 20% of their value. I am also told, this doesn't effect the functioning of my on-grid solar system. I am quite sold, and want to have it installed. Any one has experience installing such a system at their homes?, if yes, how is the performance?

The biggest roadblock at this point is my family, who are not ready to vacate more space to install the panels and they find the idea radical, as in want a traditional inverter so that there are no surprises in case of a power cut.
If you already have a On-Grid system, why are you spending 95K on another off-grid inverter + additional panels? I believe for the same price you could replace your existing On-Grid inverter with an "On-Grid hybrid" inverter which will have both On-Grid and Off-Grid features. You do not need separate panels and the capacity of your existing panels can be utilized for your Off-Grid usage.

I had been planning to replace my Sukam on-grid inverter to a Hybrid inverter. Couldn't convince the family for this additional expense yet.

Last edited by Holyghost : 23rd July 2019 at 20:37.
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Old 23rd July 2019, 20:40   #150
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Re: Using Solar / Wind Power in India (EV charging, home etc.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by rrsteer View Post
Yesterday our 10 year old inverter konked off. I want to replace it with a solar based inverter. Have received a quote of Rs 95k + 8.5% GST for two 315W panels, two 150Ah solar batteries, PCU, fitment and labor. This would be an off-grid system. I am told the system would first charge the batteries, once that is done it will cut the mains supply and the house electricity would be drawn directly from solar energy, provided the load is under a certain value (I was told if 4 fans + 4-5 15 w bulbs are being used at a time).
Can you explain more about this? You mean to say that once the inverter is charged fully, those devices that are connected will switch to Solar automatically?
What happens if the inverter runs out of solar power? Can it be charged from the mains supply? I do not have an ongrid system
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