How to buy solar Panels for home in India? Top 10 solar panel equipment manufacturers in India
Solar power is the future clean energy source in India. Solar panels are installed in both commercial as well as residential buildings. Though the capital cost of installation is high in case of solar power, the operating costs are almost nil. It saves your electricity bill and is ideal for the long term. Considering the average electricity cost in India at around Rs 3.75 to Rs 5.50 per unit, you can easily save around Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000 per year from a Grid connected solar PV system. Now, that's substantial savings for any household.
The government of India is promoting Solar PV (Photovoltaics) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National solar mission project. Subsidy is being provided for people to install solar equipment in their homes. With cost of solar power in India falling to record levels as low as Rs 3.50 per unit, cost of solar PV units is expected to fall further in future. So its only smart that your switch over to solar power system at the earliest.
Government (Ministry of New and Renewable energy) provides 30% capital subsidy for rooftop solar systems for both commercial and residential installations in India. You can also avail loan at 5% per annum towards 50% of the capital expenditure cost.
Types of Solar Cells: Solar cells are made up of semiconductor materials. These convert the electromagnetic waves from sun directly into electricity. Solar panels are broadly divided into 2 categories, Crystalline and Thin film. Crystalline cells are further classified into monocrystalline, multicrystalline, Amorphous Silicon etc. Thin film solar panels are made of non-crystalline materials
Cost of a PV module can cost anywhere between Rs 30 to Rs 50 per watt of power. Modules having higher watt capacity are cheaper than modules with lower watt power capacity. There is not much difference in price between Indian-made and imported panels.
Grid connected solar PV system and Offgrid solar PV system: Grid connected solar PV system is integrated with the public electricity grid. You will not be charged by the utility unless your power consumption is in excess of the solar power you are generating. On the other hand, Offgrid solar PV system has battery backup through which power can be stored.
If you don't experience frequent power cuts and if your main purpose is to reduce your electricity bill, you can go for Grid connected solar PV systems. They cost around Rs 60,000 to Rs 90,000 per kWp. If you experience frequent powercuts, you can go for "Offgrid" Solar PV system. An offgrid solar PV system costs between Rs 1 - 1.25 Lakh
Grid connected solar PV system
Things to check before buying Solar panel for your home:
1. Check how much electricity you need every day: Based on your energy needs, you could either choose to obtain your entire electricity need from solar power or just a part of it. Some homes use solar panels for specific needs. A solar cell produces around 0.5 volts and a solar panel produces around 24 volts. With a single panel, you could choose to power a set of appliances- all fans or all lights in your house. A 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom household typically requires about 12000 Watts to 15000 watts of power everyday. A 5 kW system could cost around Rs 5 to 7 lakh.
2. Size of Solar equipment and Space required: Check how much space you have in your balcony or terrace. Solar panels should be installed facing the south so that they get maximum sunlight throughout the day. Solar panels come in standard size (250 Wp to 300 Wp (watt peak) for home installations. Larger the installation, more the space it requires
Monocrystalline PV cell is more efficient than Multicrystalline PV cell in converting solar energy into electrical energy. Thus space required for monocrystalline PV panel is comparatively less than multicrystalline panel.
3. Installation cost: Cost of a solar PV module typically varies between Rs 30 to Rs 60 per watt. Imported modules cost around Rs 40 – 45 per watt whereas good quality modules manufactured in India cost around Rs 30 – 35 per watt. Cost of inverter and batteries are additional
A solar power installation consists of solar cells, Modules or panels, Arrays and Balance-of-system parts which include battery, inverter, Wiring, stand by gasoline electric generator etc.
4. Operating Cost: Operating cost mainly includes cost of replacing batteries apart from replacement of auxiliary parts
Top 10 Solar equipment manufacturers/suppliers in India
TATA BP solar India Ltd
Bharat electronics Limited
Bharat Heavy electrics Ltd
Microsol Power Private Ltd
Websol Energy systems
Central Electronics Limited
Titan Energy Systems Ltd
Photon Energy systems Ltd
Kotak Urja
Ammini
XL energy Limited
List of Distributors empanelled under Capital subsidy scheme implemented through NABARD:
- Agni Power
- Ammini Solar pvt Ltd
- Andromeda Energy Ltd
- Bharat electronics Limited
- Emmvee Pvt Ltd
- Communication & systems engineering pvt ltd
- Environ Energy
- Chloride power systems
- Gautam polymers
- Hilite Enterprises
- Jaiswal Battery service
- Kirti Solar ltd
- Maharishi solar technology
- Kotak Urja
- ORB Energy
- REIL, Jaipur
For more details, visit http://mnre.gov.in/schemes/decentralized-systems/solar-rooftop-grid-connected
