Sunny Side UpSwitching to Green Homes

By free Spirits Green Labs

Have you ever thought that sun can

light up your home for free ?And by free we mean 0 electricity bill !

What to discuss ?Covering almost everything you need to know

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Solar Energy for HomeWhat is it ?

Advantages/DisadvantagesAll the pros & cons you need to know

Is your home solar friendly ?Requirements to adopt solar energy

Some other productsProducts that can be used in daily use

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Why switch to solar ?Need of the hour

Types of Solar SystemsVarious systems you can adopt

Electricity bill savingsHow solar system makes your e-bill 0

Solar around usHow others are utilizing solar energy

A solar power system uses solar

energy to produce electricity for

your home.

• Whether you’re powering up your

computer, running your

dishwasher or brewing a pot of

coffee, the energy comes straight

from the sun – not from burning

fossil fuels.

Solar Energy for HomeWhat is a Solar Power System ?

Why switch to solar ?

• Converting to solar energy is the biggest

personal change you can make to fight

global warming.

• India is blessed significant amounts of

land areas having good sunshine for over

300 days a year. If solar (either in the form

of PV or thermal) becomes cost effective,

the entire country’s electricity needs can

be fully met from solar alone!

What is the need to switch from fossil fuels to solar energy ?

• Here are some ways to think aboutthe environmental impact that anaverage (5 kW system) solar homecan have on the planet over the lifeof the panels.

What can one solar system change ?Impact of single solar system installed

ADVANTAGES

• Emissions - Solar has a clear advantage

over traditional electricity generation in its

effect on the environment.

• Fuel Costs – Solar produces electricity

with no fuel or ongoing costs, and will do

so for the life of the installation. Even for a

small panel installation to supplement your

home's power needs, you will be able to

see the benefit on your monthly power

bills.

• Installation - generating power with

solar cells is essentially free, purchasing

and installing those panels is not.

• Installing solar power for your home can

be an expensive proposition, especially if

you are attempting to derive all your

power from solar electricity

• Reliability - only works when the sun is

up. Hence you will need to have a backup

power source or use storage batteries to

provide power at night or during

inclement weather.

DISADVANTAGES

Advantages/DisadvantagesYou must know the pros and cons before deciding

How does a solar system works ?How is the system installed ?

Is my home good for solar ?Available Roof Space Determines How Much Power Your Home Can Produce

Comparison based on locationWhich location best suits the solar power generation.

Sizing the solar power system

• Scoping the project

• Calculating the amount of solar energy available

• Surveying the site

• Calculating the amount of energy needed

• Sizing the solar system

• System size

• Panel size

• Inverter size

Steps to sizing your rooftop PV plant

Scoping the project

Clearly laying out what you wish to achieve with your rooftop solar PV

installation is critical to designing a plant that fits your needs. Examples of

different kinds of needs we encounter in our work include

• Completely supports your daytime electrical needs

• Supports lighting loads

• Supports critical loads during power cuts

• Provides power for night-time use

Amount of solar energy available

• We expect about 4-7 kWh/m2/day of solar insolation in India.

• That means we can generate 4 kWh of power per day from a 1 kWp panel. This is

an average measure that can vary across different regions in India.

• To have accurate calculations, we find out the exact insolation level for a

particular home.

Surveying the site

• Already been discussed before.

• Space available – 1 kW of panels would require 100-130 SF (about 12m2)

of shade-free roof area

• Orientation – A south-facing roof is ideal

• Calculating the amount of energyneeded

• This home would require 10 kWhof power per day to satisfy the load.

• At this point the plant designermight wish to identifylarge/variable loads that need notbe supported by solar power orthat can be operated through someother power source to reduce theinvestment in the solar system.

Calculating the amount of energy needed

• System size - This load requires1.8 kWh/day. Adding a 30% safetymargin to this, and assuming theinsolation to be 4kWh/m2/day, weget

System size = (EnergyRequirement*1.3) /insolationlevel

= 1.8*1.3/4 = 0.585 or 585 Wp.

• Panel size –

No. of panels = System size/PanelRating

Sizing the solar system

• Inverter size

We use a 45% safety margin when calculating the inverter size.

Required Inverter size = Total Wattage of allappliances*(1+45%)

• Having solar panels can reduce your

electric bills by a significant amount.

• Every watt-hour of electricity your

panels produce is one less watt-hour

you have to buy from your utility

company.

Saving on electricity billsHow much can be saved on electricity bill if using solar systems ?

Some other productsOther solar powered products that you can use around you.

Solar around us

• Jungle Lodges and Resorts - Five of the 20 cottages at Bidar, five of 18 cottages at Bandipur and

five of 22 cottages at Bhadra have been connected to solar panels and batteries.

• Greenpeace Office, Wilson Garden - A 15KW grid comprises the solar rooftop system. With solar

panels, inverter and a battery back-up for six to eight hours, this system generates 70-80 units of

electricity per day, slicing their electricity bill by Rs 15,000 per month.

• Max Mueller Bhavan, Indiranagar - The institute started putting solar panels in place in 2008 and

installed 35 solar modules with a total capacity of 7.8 kilowatt during peak hours so far.

• Karunashraya, Marathahalli - This hospice has a solar water heating system in place too.

Streetlights on the campus and along the driveway are also enabled by solar energy.

Who is already using solar power systems to power up their buildings

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