Can you spot the difference? A quick look at some of the factors while evaluating solar-system for your home and business

A quick look at some of the factors that are missed and why it is important to understand the differences in technology and performance

Let me ask a question to you- what’s the most important parameter for you when you decide to buy a car? And do you think it makes justifiable sense to spend countless hours researching on each component, compare what is important and finally do a test-drive? For most of us- the answer is a simply yes. Why one may ask, its fine to do it for a car and not for a coffeemaker? One of the reasons is-you buy a car anticipating it will last you for a decade or more while your coffee maker will be most likely replaced by another fancy version in a year or two and also the price points of investment required for each one of them are very different. 

And yet, we may miss these points when we are evaluating a solar-system for our house or business which has a shelf life of twenty-five years and you will only invest in it once. The reason is simple- we don’t fully understand the workings and let’s admit- all solar panels look the same!

Having spent over a decade in solar industry Ii will like to highlight few key considerations which are crucial for not only the end-users but also installers.

This has become even more important with the current situation when most of us are working from home and the electricity bills are spiralling up constantly. For the solar installers too and those who are planning to get into solar business these pointers are essential as toolkit and reference.

First things first: Get your components right

While considering investment in solar system for installation, selection of components is very important. Solar module which is like heart of system constitutes to whopping fifty percent or more of system cost. Large Independent Power Producers or large-scale EPC companies would have in-house experts employed with them who can do the technical evaluation of suppliers, their products as well as specification’s. Challenge comes when individual house owner, small system integrator or small EPC Company needs to do selection of appropriate technology as well as manufacturer of components and their specifications. Always look at the field-data rather than just the data-sheets and rely on manufacturers who are focused on quality, have long history and experience in sector since this is a long-term investment and sustainability of organisation to support you in long run is more important than the upfront capex.

Higher is not always better

Today buyer is confused with many varieties of options in technology like age old Polycrystalline, fast catching up MONO PERC, HIT, Hetro Junction (HJT) and now even bifacial. What buyer needs to understand is that with new upcoming technologies efficiency of solar modules is increasing, but efficiency in solar module is related to size of module i.e. footprint or area covered rather than yield i.e. how many Kilo-watt hours of generation per Kilo-Watt peak installed. Hence if area to install solar modules is not a constraint then a buyer can look at buying solar modules of any technology and can think of giving preference for time tested technologies, as a buyer would invest in system only once in lifetime.

Higher the ambient temperature lower is the Yield

Yield of solar system depends upon following aspects, technical specifications of selected components especially solar modules, how well the system has been designed, how well system has been installed i.e. workmanship and last but most important on how well it’s been maintained. While selecting solar modules, especially in country like India where average ambient temperature prevailing most time of the year are high and across the country - Negative temperature coefficient of solar modules is the most important parameter to look at.

As we should know all solar modules are rated for their performance at Standard Testing condition (STC) which defines ambient temperature of solar modules at 25 °C at cell level. And as a natural phenomenon with all generators, heat gets emitted during generation and cell level temperature for solar modules would be at least 20-22 °C above ambient temperature at any given time. With every degree increase in ambient temperature beyond 25 °C, for functioning of solar modules we stand to lose power and hence least the negative temperature Coefficient for solar modules better it is at least for Indian climatic conditions. Choosing a right solar module for right application and region makes good sense.

Final thoughts

Solar as a commercial household product is still new in India and the relative understanding is low- but as an Indian it’s not tough to see that we want- which is the best value for our buck! And that has been the case- we need to learn and grow and ask these important questions. 

As we mature as an industry and the data from the field is more readily available it would become increasingly easier to choose products till that time better to believe on established and trust worthy brands for investing in solar energy.

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