1. Which Solar PV system is suitable for me?
Solar PV systems can broadly be classified into two types – on-grid and off-grid. On-grid is when your solar PV system is integrated with your electricity grid ensuring that you receive power 24*7. This not only costs less but can also significantly reduce your electricity bills- up to 80% when you purchase the system and 30% when you enter into solar PPA, thanks to net metering. Read more here. Thus, on-grid is what suits you if you already have a reliable electrical connection to the grid.
Whereas if you live in a remote location where the electricity grid hasn’t yet reached, or you want to be self-sufficient regarding your energy (and have the budget for the same), you can opt for an off-grid system. In this, solar batteries are employed to store the excess energy that gets produced so that you can use it at a different time when your system isn’t producing much power, say during the night.
2. How do I know that my system is working efficiently?
Minus Co2 installs the best in class monitoring technology as part of the solar PV system such that one can ensure the optimum performance of the system round the clock and even the minor issues that might crop up get timely averted.
3. What is the unit of electricity?
Electricity is usually measured in Kilowatt hour. 1 unit of electricity refers to 1 Kilowatt-hour of energy. This is the amount of electricity a 1000 watt(or 1 kW since 1000 watt = 1 KW) bulb consumes in an hour. Here watt/kilowatt measures the power of the equipment, and electricity consumed = power * time.
Thus to know the electricity consumed by an electronic equipment, you need to multiply its power in kilowatt with the time it operates in hour. This will give you the figure in Kilowatt hour, and as said earlier, 1 kW hour is what is commonly referred to as a ‘unit’. In fact, your electricity bill shows the ‘units’ of electricity you consumed in the billing cycle.
4. What are the key factors that affect solar power generation?
Your solar PV system’s performance is dependent upon
• Location ( How much sunlight it receives and the weather conditions)
• Roof orientation and shading (How sun-facing the roof is)
• Layout and design of the system (Has the system been designed and installed to harness sunlight to its maximum)
• Quality of the equipment used – solar panels, inverter, wiring etc (Are the equipment used of the highest quality?)
• Monitoring and timely maintenance (Is there a mechanism to proactively monitor the system’s performance and avert issues if and when they arise?)
5. Will my roof be able to bear the weight of a Solar PV system?
Yes, in most cases. A typical Solar PV system weighs 10 to 20 kg per square meter, which can be borne by most roofs. You can ask your solar company to assess properly if your roof can carry the weight of the system for its entire lifetime, which is 20-25 years.
6. What are the basic components of the Solar PV System?
Solar PV system consists of
• Solar Panels – These contain solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity.
• Mounting equipment – These hold the solar panels in place.
• DC to AC Inverter – This converts the direct current that solar cells produce into alternating current.
• Disconnect switch – The safety valve of the system
• Meter – This measures the electricity produced and that which gets distributed to the grid, in case of net metering that is.
• Wiring and fuse box – They safely transport the generated electricity throughout.
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7. What are the basic types of Solar PV System?
These are the types of Solar PV system
1. On-grid: Your Solar PV system is integrated with the grid.
2. Grid-tied along with battery storage: Your solar PV system has batteries for storage and is also tied with the grid.
3. Off-grid: Your system is independent of the grid and employs batteries for storage.
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