We at ‘Bijli Bachao’ have been getting a lot of queries from our readers, on how to apply the solar inverter technology in the houses, do we need to completely replace the existing inverters, what all modifications are required, and is it possible to apply the solar panel to the regular inverter?, etc. are some of the pertinent queries, which we keep getting on this subject. Therefore we have decided to dedicate one article on this topic, whose application will not only lead to a continuous supply of ‘green’ power but will also lead to a significant savings to the electricity bills.
We all know that solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV), convert sunlight directly into electricity. PV gets its name from the process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage), which is also called as the PV effect. With the concept of the solar conversion kit, any inverter or battery can now be converted into a solar inverter. Solar conversion kit is an additional device or a solar panel which could be connected to our existing home inverters, thus converting the system into a hybrid form. By converting the normal inverter into the solar hybrid inverter, one can connect solar panels to it and start using the solar energy available in the day time for the normal daily use.
How Does Solar Conversion Kit Work?
The solar conversion kits introduce mainly two new parts to the existing inverter system; solar PV modules and the solar converter. The solar PV modules are installed on the roof top at a fixed tilt and generally facing south direction of the location. The energy generated will be brought to the solar converter which is located near the inverter and battery bank. When sun rays fall on these solar panels, the power (DC electricity) is generated, which reaches the batteries through solar converter and batteries get charged. However, the solar panels ensure that the right amount of charge reach the battery because with very high power, there are chances that the batteries may get permanently damaged. A solar converter charges the batteries in different stages and gives a controlled amount of charge, so that they not only get fully charged, but are also able to hold the 100% charge.
Now, when the batteries get fully charged, this solar converter protects batteries from overcharging by intelligently disconnecting the solar power. It also safeguards the solar panels by prohibiting the flow of current in reverse direction from batteries to the solar panels during the night time. During the day when solar power is being generated and is fully charging the batteries, solar converter available in the market also has the ability to intelligently disconnect the mains and power the house via inverter using the energy stored in the batteries. These handy solar converters take almost nothing from the main power supply which means that they do not bring any extra burden to the electricity meter – thus one can generate significant savings in their electricity bills.
When batteries are drained these solar converters first tries to get them charged through solar but in absentia of the solar energy such as during the late evening or the night times, the inverter goes on to the mains mode and gets the power from main grid supply. During late evenings or when sun is pertinently not available, solar converter ably detects that and switches the mains on. The inverter charges the battery through main grid supply so one can get non-stop electricity supply even during power cuts at night.
What is in it for me – Price?
It lets one use the free and green energy generated by solar panels to power all its electrical appliances. One can make huge savings on electricity bill and get to charge the batteries even during power cut and of course help save the environment. Moreover, one also does not need to make any additional investments like purchasing a new inverter set-up, etc, one just needs to put a panel to the existing inverter and enjoy the benefit.
In India, Sukam, Exide, Luminous, Microtek, VGuard, Tez, OKAYA, etc. are the leading players in home inverter manufacturing sector. In the solar inverter market, there are Su-Kam’s patented Solarcon panels/devices, and the Luminous Hybrid Solar Inverter, the most popular branded ones; which can convert any ordinary inverter and battery set-up into solar power system. So, not only one can save energy and cut down on its electricity bill, one is also ably protected with uninterrupted, green power, 24X7 times. For normal use the 250 watt battery inverter kit is recommended, but if one wants to install a high capacity solar panels such as 400, 500 or above 500, then there are battery inverter kits such as SolarCon 24 volt (double) available in the market.
These solar panels are priced somewhere between 2500-3500, depending upon the brand. Infact since the price difference between non-branded conversion kit and the branded conversion kit is minimal; one is advised to go for the branded!
Thus, the solar conversion kits certainly provide a better way to use existing inverter battery systems with the Solar PV technology, one just need to apply this cost effective technology.