Off-grid Solar Power Generator systems ideal for villas
Our country is currently facing a huge power crisis with the energy deficit currently peaking almost 15%. On top of this deficit, our energy needs are rising 10% per year, resulting in a huge gap between supply & demand. Considering that many depleting, scarce, polluting& expensive resources like coal are being consumed in large volumes for generating most of the electric power in our country, the time has come to harness the clean and perpetually free energy beamed from the SUN.
While it takes more than 5 years to setup a Thermal or Hydel plant, a Solar Power Plant of the same capacity can be setup in less than 6 months. However, there will still be plenty of transmission & distribution losses due to inadequate infrastructure and related systems in our country. Hence multiple Decentralized Solar Power plants using off-grid Solar Power Generator (SPG) systems are the ideal solution for this scenario.
Since many years, it is already mandatory and popular for house owners to install Solar Water heaters in some places like Bangalore. Now, it has become quite feasible to setup an off-grid roof-top SPG system within independent houses/villas. Thanks to availability of high-end technology, modern off-grid SPG systems provide an alternate source of continuous, stable & eco-friendly electric power for all types of load, including refrigerators, air-conditioners, water-pumps, etc., irrespective of the availability of Grid power.
An off-grid SPG system comprises mainly of a few Photo Voltaic (PV) Panels, an Inverter unit and a few batteries. The PV Panels have to be installed on shadow-free terrace/roof areas, whereas, the installation of the inverter and battery bank is similar to a regular UPS system that is usually kept near the main DB/meter panel or any well-ventilated covered utility area.
Besides deriving immediate direct savings in electricity bills, one can derive other indirect benefits from an off-grid SPG system, like enhanced life-span and performance of connected appliances, elimination of UPS systems & stabilizers, etc. Although the initial cost of such off-grid SPG systems may appear to be high even after government subsidies, it is important to consider the negligible maintenance costs and the above mentioned benefits derived over the life-span of such systems, which is typically around 25 to 40 years.
Moreover, when people begin equating buying a SPG system to any other Asset like a Car, rather than as an “investment” with a questionable ROI, the prices of SPG systems could eventually drop due to increase in sales volumes, while bridging the huge demand-supply gap at the same time. Hence, if wealthy people and celebrities take the initiative for harnessing solar power to the maximum extent feasible within their house, the less-privileged section of society could also eventually harness solar power at reduced prices, thereby contributing towards a sustainable environment and economy.
