How much Money Can I save using Solar Power ?
- Considering A domestic Solar On grid System in Kerala. A 3kW solar Panel could cost you anywhere between Rs. 1,35,000 to 1,65,000
- A 3kW Solar Panel could save around Rs. 24000 – 30,000 annually.
- A tentative pay pack period of 5-8 years.
Read the Article to know further details.
Solar Power Potential in Different Parts of Kerala, India
India is blessed with solar power radiation across its length and breadth. India has the potential of generating 3.5kWh to 6.5 kWh of Solar energy in every square meter area (10.76 sq.ft) Majority area of the country is in the range of 4.5-5.5 kWh/sq.m. Area needed for 1kW – 5kW solar Power is detailed below in this article.
Kerala is the southern state of India and has a solar potential generating of 4-5.5kWh/Day. An average home is Kerala would need around 8-15units daily. This accounts to around 2-5kW of Solar Panels.
| Entity | Power(watts) | Time used (hours) | Quantity | Total Energy Consumed (kWh) |
| Ceiling Fan | 80 | 12 | 2 | 1.92 |
| LED TV 32 inch | 60 | 4 | 1 | 0.24 |
| Tube Light | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Fridge | 100 | 24 | 1 | 2.4 |
| Washing Machine (1 Ton) | 500 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Air Conditioner | 800 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Mixer / Blender | ||||
| Water Pump | ||||
| Daily Energy Consumption | 9.76 |
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Solar Panel for home price in Kerala, India
The price of the solar panels for homes in India (kerala) depends on the following parameters.
Solar Panel
The solar panel is the most costly part of a solar power system for your home. There are two types of solar panels being widely used for Residential solar plants in India. Monocrystaline and Polycrystalline, Monocrystalline panels are comparatively more efficient than polycrystalline and hence more expensive too.
Solar Inverter
Solar panels produce Direct current (DC) electricity as compared to Alternating Current (AC) which is the common form of electricity supply available at home. Hence the Solar Inverter converts the DC to AC which is consumed by our homes.
There are majorly two types of solar inverters used widely. Off-grid and On-grid inverters. There are variations within these broad two categories.
In simple terms, On-grid inverters as the name suggests is connected to the local grid (Electricity board) installed at our homes.
And the off-grids are the ones which are found in remote locations or stand alone power systems which are not connected to our electricity board.
On-grid Solar Inverter
Most modern homes within the city or a town use an on-grid solar inverter. They rely on solar power as the primary source of power along with the electricity supplied from the Electricity board and batteries as the third source of power.
Off grid solar inverter
These solar power systems are primarily used in remote locations or special use cases when electricity grid supply is not available. They depend on solar as the primary source of power followed by battery systems.
Module Mounting structures
The solar panels are placed on top of a mounting structure mostly Galvanized Iron, Aluminium and mild steel. These structures hold the solar modules in place during heavy winds. The other most important aspect of the module mounting structure is to maintain the required tilt of the solar module to keep it perpendicular to the incoming solar radiation. Do not get confused, just keep in mind, that the solar panel tilt should be equal to the latitude degrees of your location.
Solar Wires, cables, Earthing and Connectors
Next critical and expensive part of a solar power system is Solar Wires, cables, earthing etc. There are majorly 3 types of cables needed. One, connecting solar panels in series to meet the input voltage of the inverters, two, connecting group of solar panels in parallel to match the input current of the inverter.
Note that in series connection, voltage gets added and in parallel connection current gets added. The cable thickness varies according the current carried, distance to be covered from panel to the inverter and inverter to the Electricity board and the losses in the cable. This is slightly technical and the Solar company executive should be able to clarify this.
Transport & Overheads cost of Solar
The other major cost of a solar power plant for your home is the transport and Overhead cost of the company. If the location is far off from the main town and city then this demands additional logistic cost for the customers.
What is Net-metering in Solar inverters.
Net metering is a concept in which the inverter supplies the excessive electricity produced by the solar power back to the electricity board and you get additional benefits from the local electricity board for supplying electricity.
Working of a Net-metering Solar power Inverters
Solar Power Generation during the Day. According to National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) data, The following map represents the Solar Energy Irradiance available across different parts of India.
Total Cost of Solar Power for home in Kerala, India
An on grid solar power project without battery roughly costs between 50,000INR – 75,000INR. This does not include any subsidy. While, an-grid solar power plant with battery and an off-grid solar plant will be 12,000-15,000Rs more than on-grid solar power plant due to additional Battery and control systems needed.
The below tables represent the price of a 1kW solar Power plant for homes and residential purposes.
| 1kW Solar | Battery | Without Battery |
| On grid | 50,000 to 90,000 | 35,000 to 75,,000 |
| Offgrid | 55,000 to 1,00,000 | Additional Transport Cost |
The cost of solar panel project varies based on Quality and Brand of Solar Panel and inverters used, Distance between the solar panel and the inverters and Grid, Transportation, etc.
Solar Irradiance in Kerala
In simple terms Solar Irradiance means the Total amount of solar Energy (kWh) available per sq.m of land. After installing a solar panel of 18-20% efficiency and system losses in Inverters, cables, and switch gears we can extract roughly around 4.5.5 Kwh of electricity from 1kW of Solar panels.
How much Electricity can a 1kW solar Panel produce in Kerala, India
1kW of Solar Panels roughly needs 7-10sq.m (70-100sq.ft) of floor space and one side of the wall for mounting the inverters and other converter systems inside a ventilated room. A normal size of our bedrooms are 120sq.ft (10ftx12ft). Slightly less than the size of our bedrooms can generate 4-5 units (kwh) of Electricity Daily.
Electricity produced by a 1kw solar panel, 2kw, 3kw and 5kw Solar Panel
How much money can I save installing a Solar plant at home in Kerala ?
Investment Cost for a 3kW solar Power Plant
What is the payback period for a 3kW solar Power Plant in Kerala ?
A 3kW solar plant can produce close to 4.5kWh/kW, which equals to 4.5×3 = 13.5kWh of electricity produced daily. in a month, a 3kW solar plant can produce 4880kWh of electricity.
The tentative Domestic Electricity tariff in Kerala is around 5Rs/unit for a household consuming 300units of electricity. Hence, an average money saved by a 3kW solar plant at home in a year is =4880*5= 24300Rs.
With an initial Investment of close to 2,00,000Rs. The tentative payback years will be 2,00,000/24300= 7-8 years. This is very basic calcluation assuming that the Electricity tariff remains 5Rs. for 25 years. This is very unlikely as Domestic tariffs will increase over time. second, there are not operations and maintenance cost considered for the solar plant, like battery replacement panel degradation, etc.
How to Design a solar Power Plant for your Home in Kerala ?
Solar power design is explained in simple steps.
- Find the total existing Daily Electricity consumption at your home. (this you can get from electricity bill from KSEB)
- Imagine your total units (electricity kWH) consumed is 300 units, divide that by 30days to get daily Electricity demand for your home.
- 300KWh/30days = 10kWh/Day. This is your Daily consumption. Calculate this for at least last 1year data to avoid any additional consumtions due to functions at home, summers AC consumption, faulty meters, etc.
- The Total Electricity Needed at home is 10kWh. Now to account for system losses (wires, cables, Connectors and inverters, say 20% losses). Divide this by 80%.
- 10/80%= 12.5kWh this is the total electricity that needs to be produced.
- Based on the solar irradiance and shadow study by the solar design team for your exact location, they shall provide you with the range of Solar generation kWh/kW. Normally for ease of calculation this is considered as 4.5kWh/day in Kerala.
- To get the total solar power capacity needed divide Total Electricity needed/ Energy produced per kW.
- 12.5kWh/4.5kWh/kW = 2.78 kW. approxiamtely 3kW of Solar Panel is needed.
- Click Here for the Google Sheet
Sun Rise, Sun Set and Sun Hours in Kerala
This above graph shows the days (months) across the year in X-axis and hours during the day in Y axis for Chalakudy Kerala.
on 1st January sun rises just after 6am and sets a little before 6pm with a total sun hours less than 11hours. July has the shortest day.
The solar panel installed in Chalakudy shall produce maximum electricity during April- July.
