Best Solar Panels for House in Chennai

Such rooftop solar systems can be installed on the rooftops of residential and commercial complex, housing societies, community centers, government organizations, private institutions, institutional buildings, industrial buildings etc.

The main components of a Solar PV system are:

• Solar Panels or Modules: Solar PV panels are typically made up of crystalline silicon cells and contain small quantities of other atoms, usually boron and phosphorous, to create silicon layers of opposite electrical properties. When the sun’s light falls on the modules, it excites the electrons, thereby creating direct current (DC). When you evaluate solar panels for your photovoltaic (PV) system, you will encounter two main categories of panel options: monocrystalline solar panels and polycrystalline solar panels. Monocrystalline solar panels tend to be slightly more expensive than polycrystalline panels, however monocrystalline panels are having a higher efficiency than others.

• Solar Inverter: The DC electricity goes into an inverter that converts it into alternating current (AC). We use AC for running our household or office or factory equipment.
• Battery (optional): The best use of solar energy is to consume it while it is being generated. If the requirement is to store this power and consume it in the non-sunny hours, then solar energy can be stored in batteries for later consumption.

The Solar PV systems can be broadly categorized as: On-grid systems, which are connected to the main electrical supply in your building and; Off-grid systems, which are completely off the grid (not connected to your main electrical supply)

On-Grid System

There are two ways in which an on-grid system can be configured:

• • Solar system is solely connected to the main electrical supply (Grid-connected):

In grid-connected rooftop or small SPV system, the DC power generated from SPV panel is converted to AC power using power conditioning unit and is fed to the grid. These systems generate power during the day time which is utilized fully by powering captive loads and feed excess power to the grid as long as the grid is available. In case, where solar power is not sufficient to cover the captive loads, the captive loads are then served by drawing power from the grid.

• • In addition to the main electrical supply, Solar system can also be connected to other power sources like batteries (Hybrid Solar PV system):

The solar PV system combined with another power generating source is called Hybrid Solar PV system. The most commonly used hybrid system is Solar PV + Diesel Generator (DG) + Grid electricity (with or without battery) or Solar PV + Battery + Grid electricity.

Off-Grid Solar System

Off grid Solar system is a battery-backed system and does not need to be connected to your electrical supply. This system is commonly used for backup power which may be used for running the loads in non-sunny hours e.g. powering traffic signals & streetlights, billboards, backup power for houses, pumps, etc. in cities and remote rural locations that do not have access to grid electricity.

Each user has a different electricity load profile. The good news is that your solar system can be customized depending on your electricity load profile, energy consumption pattern and requirements. The design of your Solar PV system depends on the availability of electricity, power quality, electricity tariff and your energy consumption pattern.

If you have grid connectivity and the grid is relatively reliable, we recommend on-grid systems because they can more economically meet your energy requirements. If you need to choose Solar PV systems for schools, colleges, etc. which are closed on weekends, you can use net-metering mechanism to feed-in the extra power to the grid thereby avoiding any loss of solar power generated.

A Hybrid Solar PV system is suitable for you if you are currently experiencing frequent power cuts or expect more power cuts in the future and want to reduce your overall dependence on the grid due to:

• • More extreme weather events in the future which may disrupt the grid availability in your area
  • Increasing energy consumption pattern per household, resulting in additional strain on the existing grid infrastructure which may lead to ‘load shedding’ in the future
• You want to meet the majority of your energy consumption requirements using solar panels thus creating a positive impact on the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.
• You want to reduce your operational expenses incurred due to the Diesel Generator.

If you don’t have access to grid supply, you may consider an off-grid system. This system is more expensive than an on-grid system due to the additional installation and maintenance cost of batteries.