How to choose best solar panels for indian homes

Decided to go solar for powering your home but getting confused about the whole installation process for your home? Relax, for you have help at hand. On the request of many of our readers, we have put down the basic steps involved in the selections and installation of solar power system for Indian homes.

As the solar power system is going to stay with you for decades to come, it becomes necessary that you have complete background information and opt for the best products. A typical solar installation consists of solar panels, batteries, inverter, charge controller, some wiring and fuse boxes along with a meter where net metering facility is available. Of all these components, the photovoltaic panels are the most important as they capture and convert sun’s energy into electricity. This is also the costliest component hence it is imperative that one makes an informed decision when opting for any given brand or product.
 
To get the best ROI, let us first understand the different types of solar panels:
 
Monocrystalline Panels: These are made of solar cells cut out from crystalline solar bars. They have uniform look and consistent coloring due to high purity silicon used for making them. These are not rectangular in shape as the four corners are cut out to make silicon wafers. This gives monocrystalline solar panels their distinct look. These panels work best when they receive bright and direct sunlight.

Advantage :

·         As they are built with purest form of silicon they have the highest performance rate
·         Make efficient use of space.

Drawback :

·         Very Costly
·         Decreased performance in  hot weather and high temperature
·         Manufacturing these panels generates lots of waste

Conclusion: These panels are very efficient but costlier. Depending on your budget and location you can choose between these or polycrystalline panels.
 
Polycrsytalline or multicrystalline : These  are also made of silicon but instead of cutting cells into wafer shapes these are made by pouring silicon into molds. These have a uniform rectangular shape. Each cell is made of many different bits of pure crystal and these are usually not aligned perfectly. This misalignment helps to capture light from various angles and works well even in low light.

Advantage:

·         These solar panels are much cheaper than monocrystalline panels
·         Produce less waste during the manufacturing process
·         Capture maximum sunrays even during low light conditions

Disadvantage:

·         They are slightly less energy and space efficient than monocrystalline panels

Conclusion: Given the cost and overall efficiency this is the most suitable solar panel installation for Indian homes.

Hybrid Panels: These are manufactured by layering amorphous silicon or organic photovoltaic cells.
Conclusion: These are most efficient panels and take very little space. But these panels are very costly and the additional cost is not offset by the extra energy produced by these panels.

How to power your home with solar:

Once you have decided to power your home with solar energy and chosen the most suitable panels depending on your budget, you should follow the following steps:

1.    Contact a reliable solar service provider. Online solar marketplace can offer very good options for such services. (link to solarhippo services)
2.    Prepare a factsheet about your home location, facing, available space, society rules for solar installations in homes, any other regulatory restrictions etc.
3.    Provide the above details and request site visit and evaluation
4.    After site visit you would get a quote and timeline for solar power planning of your home.
5.    Get required permissions and loan approval if opting for low interest rate loan benefits for solar panel installation.
6.    Apply for net metering if the facility is available in your State. In many cases The solar service provider might also help with the formalities related to this process.
7.    Make payment to your solar service provider and begin to solar power your home.

The Benefits:

·         By opting for solar power you take a futuristic step and contribute towards cleaner environment.
·         You become energy independent to a great extent.
·         Claim tax rebates and government subsidies.
·         Solar panels usually have a lifespan of 25-30 years and pay off their cost in 3-5 years. This means you are going to get free electricity for almost 2 decades.

Have queries? Leave us a comment and we would try the best to answer them for you.