Guide Why you should install a solar rooftop system

[YeAhx]

I watched a video regarding to this topic a few weeks ago and thought I should share it here with you guys.

Seems to me like there are things to consider even after the initial investment such as quality of panels, usage, unit cost in your area, ROI, maintenance, area required for installation, Cloudy weather/location etc.
Where I live unit cost is 6.5rs per unit which is actually cheap so personally speaking after considering all the things above installing solar panels is not worth it at the moment. Maybe in the future if investment goes down and unit prices go up it might become worthwhile.

 

[alap4m]

I watched a video regarding to this topic a few weeks ago and thought I should share it here with you guys.

Seems to me like there are things to consider even after the initial investment such as quality of panels, usage, unit cost in your area, ROI, maintenance, area required for installation, Cloudy weather/location etc.
Where I live unit cost is 6.5rs per unit which is actually cheap so personally speaking after considering all the things above installing solar panels is not worth it at the moment. Maybe in the future if investment goes down and unit prices go up it might become worthwhile.

In Maharashtra, the Unit Cost is more than Rs. 15 Per Unit. It is insanely expensive.
Regardless of Unit Price, Solar is a worthy investment especially because the panels can last for VERY LONG time. And there's no major downside to installing solar inside a gated house.

 

[YeAhx]

In Maharashtra, the Unit Cost is more than Rs. 10 Per Unit. It is insanely expensive.
Regardless of Unit Price, Solar is a worthy investment especially because the panels can last for VERY LONG time. And there's no major downside to installing solar inside a gated house.

Indeed "major" being the word here because you do need to get it set up (installation can be a headache for someone because they will need to inquire about everything prior to it and then get it installed which I'm sure must take some time) also need a physical space for the panels itself and maintenance in the form of keeping the panels dust free otherwise you lose some power efficiency.
In that video I posted I read unit price in Maharastra can be as high as 15rs which is truly insanely expensive. In that instance ROI will be significantly faster/earlier and so investing in solar panels is no-brainer then. But if we disregard unit price (or assume it to be cheaper than average) then ROI can be up to 10 years and for most people investing 2-3 lakhs upfront into solar panel setup is not a small feat.
None the less, Solar panels are good investment and an eco-friendly alternative for us as India still runs mainly on fossil fuel. (was something like 70%-80% last I checked)

 

[k660]

Bifacial Panels matter primarily when you are going to mount them Vertically (I might be mistaken though)

When bifacial panels matter:

1. Vertical Mounting – Useful for fences, railings, or building facades where both sides get sunlight at different times of the day. Quite rare unless ones is rich.
Unfortunately this is also where they matter the least, least energy production ( i.e. in vertical position )
A future replacement for these is more transparent solar panels.
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2. Tilted or Ground Mounts – When installed on a reflective surface (e.g., white roofs, sand, or snow), they capture additional reflected sunlight from below.
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3. Tracking Systems – Single-axis and dual-axis trackers can optimize sunlight exposure to both sides of the panel.
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4. Floating Solar Farms – Water reflections can boost rear-side generation.

 

[navino87]

We recently installed a solar power system at our home, consisting of three 7.25 kW units and one 3.6 kW unit. The total investment amounted to Rs. 12,50,000. Additionally, we paid Rs. 18,800 (4 x 4,700) for the net meter. We opted for Renewsys bifacial panels and a Polycab inverter. Yesterday, the 7.25 kW unit generated a total of 42 kWh, while the 3.6 kW unit produced 20 kWh.

 

[kiran6680]

We recently installed a solar power system at our home, consisting of three 7.25 kW units and one 3.6 kW unit. The total investment amounted to Rs. 12,50,000. Additionally, we paid Rs. 18,800 (4 x 4,700) for the net meter. We opted for Renewsys bifacial panels and a Polycab inverter. Yesterday, the 7.25 kW unit generated a total of 42 kWh, while the 3.6 kW unit produced 20 kWh.View attachment 227716

Awesome, but bifacial panels have one face buried in the surface? Am I seeing it correctly?

 

[navino87]

Awesome, but bifacial panels have one face buried in the surface? Am I seeing it correctly?

We chose bifacial panels over monofacial due to a few factors: stock availability, a negligible price difference. But due to some last-minute change of plan, we decided to lay the panels flat on the roof instead of raising them.

 

[k660]

We chose bifacial panels over monofacial due to a few factors: stock availability, a negligible price difference. But due to some last-minute change of plan, we decided to lay the panels flat on the roof instead of raising them.

Shouldn't matter much, to get real advantage of bifocal, surface needs to reflect significant amount of sunlight to begin with.

But, what I loved to hear was they were priced closely. I am also looking into bifocal panels.

Edit* hey @navino87 since it's bifocal can it be turned and it's other side used? Can that side generated the same amount of energy/power ?

 

[Chocpuddingfan]

Bros iam interested. How much would it cost to install?

 

[zeta30]

Hire a contractor
They take care of every, even subsidy forms.
Batteries are not necessary for on grid solar u will get the bill amount every month adjusted accordingly.

Bros iam interested. How much would it cost to install?

Depends on kw of solar panels installed & state subsidies

Bros iam interested. How much would it cost to install?

4kw produces max 16 units/day in summer! cost around 1.8l though variable

 

[navino87]

Shouldn't matter much, to get real advantage of bifocal, surface needs to reflect significant amount of sunlight to begin with.

But, what I loved to hear was they were priced closely. I am also looking into bifocal panels.

Edit* hey @navino87 since it's bifocal can it be turned and it's other side used? Can that side generated the same amount of energy/power ?

If I'm not mistaken, bifacial panels are essentially monofacial panels with the backplate replaced by glass, allowing them to capture light from both sides.

 

[chetansha]

This is really a great Quote, but is it AFTER factoring-in the Subsidy?
Also, wherever possible go for the Raised (high-rise) structure. This is important if you have buildings/houses nearby. If installing on a house that's isolated, or if you reside in a windy area, go for the Standard 4-Feet Structure. And if this structure is INCLUDED in the price, that's even better.
Bifacial Panels matter primarily when you are going to mount them Vertically (I might be mistaken though). Hence, it would better to go for the Adani TOPCon 575Wp.
Before you even begin, it would be wise to hire a "Government Certified" Electrician and get him/her/they to inspect the Electrical connections, and give you a go-ahead in writing. These electricians can significantly help in reducing any delays and avoid scrutiny.
There could be several small but important technical matters such as approved load, structural integrity report, local transformer capacity and safety reports. Hence, it would be wise to seek the help of the Vendor, or better yet, offer them some money to handle the relevant approvals.

Kondaas has a wonderful team, i had installed it from kondaas on 2016 itself.

 

[hitomi]

How does the carry forwarding work in case of extra units produced in a month ?
I have read that the carry forwarded units lapse at the end of financial year, meaning the unused units of winter months can't be used in the summer months

 

[bssunilreddy]

Hire a contractor
They take care of every, even subsidy forms.
Batteries are not necessary for on grid solar u will get the bill amount every month adjusted accordingly.

Depends on kw of solar panels installed & state subsidies

4kw produces max 16 units/day in summer! cost around 1.8l though variable

How much kw would be sufficient for 3BHK 5 member family house? Does it differ from state to state on subsidies?
BTW I don't know anything regarding this solar rooftop thing and are there any good sites from central and state govts which gives estimates on spending for solar projects?

 

[hitomi]

How much kw would be sufficient for 3BHK 5 member family house? Does it differ from state to state on subsidies?
BTW I don't know anything regarding this solar rooftop thing and are there any good sites from central and state govts which gives estimates on spending for solar projects?

1kW solar plant produces 5 units on average, you'll have to decide on the capacity part by looking your monthly unit consumption instead of members/rooms

 

[chetansha]

How much kw would be sufficient for 3BHK 5 member family house? Does it differ from state to state on subsidies?
BTW I don't know anything regarding this solar rooftop thing and are there any good sites from central and state govts which gives estimates on spending for solar projects?

How much is your monthly/ bi monthly consumption in units ?

 

[zeta30]

How much kw would be sufficient for 3BHK 5 member family house? Does it differ from state to state on subsidies?
BTW I don't know anything regarding this solar rooftop thing and are there any good sites from central and state govts which gives estimates on spending for solar projects?

5 kw should do. KW system needed depends on the electricity u consume & quality of panels ur are using (how efficient)
6 kw system would be more than enough
Electricity board pays u for excess units produced on a fixed rates
Mind u, u can claim subsidy only once for an address. If u plan to upgrade in future u cannot claim subsidy on it. Better to spend once on quality system.
I used 4.0 kw system, some low quality chinese panels, bill reduced from 7k per month to 500-800 per month something. Also it is quite sunny most of the year in nagpur. So location is also a factor.
U can get ur money back in some 4-5 years. So worth it.
One mistake i did was not research the panels quality & credibility of the contractor.
So it was a bad deal overall for me.
Govt. sites can tell u about the subsidy, cost u will need a quote from contractor.

5 kw should do. KW system needed depends on the electricity u consume & quality of panels ur are using (how efficient)
6 kw system would be more than enough
Electricity board pays u for excess units produced on a fixed rates
Mind u, u can claim subsidy only once for an address. If u plan to upgrade in future u cannot claim subsidy on it. Better to spend once on quality system.
I used 4.0 kw system, some low quality chinese panels, bill reduced from 7k per month to 500-800 per month something. Also it is quite sunny most of the year in nagpur. So location is also a factor.
U can get ur money back in some 4-5 years. So worth it.
One mistake i did was not research the panels quality & credibility of the contractor.
So it was a bad deal overall for me.
Govt. sites can tell u about the subsidy, cost u will need a quote from contractor.

Maintenance is not much. U have to clean the dirt on it after 3 months or so. Thats it

 

[alap4m]

Anyone interested in figuring out the Solar Plant necessary, must look at their Electricity Bill.
The Units consumed is clearly mentioned.
If Bill is monthly then divide Units by 30 to get daily consumption. If Bill is bi-monthly then divide by 60.
1KW Solar Plant produces around 4 to 6 Units Per Day on a Sunny Day.
Generation of Units should be higher than Consumption. Otherwise you will end up paying for Electricity.
Ideally, if monthly consumption is 500 Units, then get a Solar Plant that produces 600 Units or more per month, which translates to 5KW Solar Plant.