Guide to purchase solar solutions
Dear Kishore,
First and foremost my greetings and good wishes for your upcoming project.
I am very glad to see someone posting such a thread, its wonderful!
I hope you find this useful in your decision making.
Let me share with you what I can based on my limited knowledge:
The bottomline in any purchase is to lookout quality, cost & proven track record that a seller offers. And there are few specific parameters on which you can compare quality and cost offered by companies.
How to compare offers for solar power solutions with battery backup:
Quality Parameters to keep in mind:
Monocrystalline panels are superior in quality as against polycrystalline panels
Solar Power conditioning unit is the advanced model as against solar inverter
IGBT based Solar Power conditioning unit is always high efficient and robust when compared to MOSFET based Solar Power conditioing unit
MPPT is better than PWM charge controller
Aluminium structure is rust proof when compared to MS/ MS galvanized structure
Solar cables have long life /weather proof and have less/zero power loss against regular AC cables
C10 rated solar batteries offer longer life less maintenance against C20 UPS batteries
Using MC4 connectors and branch connectors avoids taping joints and useful in the long run because of no wear and tear
Never allow anyone to parallel the batteries as this will reduce the life of the battery due to internal resistance
Always insist on 5 years replacement warranty batteries and not 3 + 2 years warranty batteries
How to compare offers for solar pump solutions :
Quality Parameters to keep in mind:
Monocrystalline panels are superior in quality as against polycrystalline panels. But remember you can use monocrystalline panels for pump capacities exceeding 3Hp only in most of the cases.
Always ask for a pump controller that has inbuilt VFD and MPPT, (having dry run protection, voltage and current protection with all switch gear are optional but its better to have these). This will ensure your pump will run nonstop when sun shines without turning off . Having just a VFD will make pump work for say 10AM to 3PM and that too no guarantee for constant running.
Aluminium structure is rust proof when compared to MS/ MS galvanized structure
Solar cables have long life /weather proof and have less/zero power loss against regular AC cables
Using MC4 connectors and branch connectors avoids taping joints and useful in the long run because of no wear and tear
How to compare offers for solar fencing solutions :
Class A materials are better in quality than Class B materials
Using branded high tension wires is more of quality than locally available fence wires
The energizer should be rated more or equal to the total fence area
C10 Battery is preferred against C20 Battery
Cost Comparison:
After understanding which are the quality BoM from above explanation, ask for a quote for system using quality desirable materials and compare the cost.Make sure the quotation clearly mentions itemwise explanation
Track record:
After obtaining the quote, do insist on previous projects. Visit the project if possible and get the customer's feedback on service and quality. 99% of the solar installations fail because of improper system design.
As a customer your duty:
Solar Power Solution:
Always be specific on your requirement. Example, you have asked if you can run your roasting machine on solar, the answer is YES. But for any company to offer a suitable solution this its not sufficient to have just this information. You need to let know the power rating of the machine or at the least the brand and model number.
If you are looking for a power solution always remember to give this below info:
a)What all loads you wish to run on solar and how many of each appliances?
Ex: 4 fans for 6 hr, 5 lights for 6 hrs, 1 tv for 2 hrs etc
b)Let the company know if you want these loads to be run on primary solar or backup solar
Solar Water Pumping Solution:
If you are looking for a pumping solution always remember to give this below info:
a)Correct HP rating of the pump
b)Whether the pump is single phase or three phase
Solar Fencing Solution:
If you are looking for a fencing solution always remember to give this below info:
a)No of lines of fence wire desired
b)Distance desired between fence wires
c)Distance desired between the intermediate posts
d)No of corner posts required
e)Height of the intermediate post desired
I am sure experts here will correct me if am wrong anywhere.
Regards,
Saravana Kumar
CEO
Greencurrent Solar Energy Systems
9566600477
saravana.kumar@greencurrent.in
Greencurrent.in | Solar Thermal and Solar Power Solutions
