Choose the clean and renewable form of energy that is solar energy and do your bit for nature. Solar energy also gives you immense benefits and this is the reason that many people are turning to this option. One of the crucial factors that need to be considered is the area in which you need to install the system on your rooftop.
First a quick look at a few important benefits of solar energy!
Before focusing on the important factors for solar installation check the benefits bestowed by solar energy:
- Bring down your electricity bills by consistently using solar power in your residence and office.
- No chances of pollution as this clean form of energy does not emit harmful gases and is not noisy.
- No burning of fossil fuels as the only natural resource used here is the sun.
- Chance to get Government subsidy for the installation of solar energy.
Planning to install a rooftop solar PV system?
If you are planning to install a solar setup for home then some important pointers have to be considered.
1. Do the shadow test:
Your objective is to collect maximum solar energy in the daytime. For this, it is important to place the solar PV panel in the South direction.
- Before you do this make sure that you carry out the shadow test. In this, you have to check if in the south direction there is a shadow of trees or buildings.
- The ideal condition for the installation of the PV solar system is no shadows on the rooftop.
- In case there are shadows on the roof then experts have to analyze aspects like the direction of the sunlight, the timing, etc.
2. The load that the roof can bear:
The weight of the solar panel set-up depends on the type and structure of the panel. The load that the roof can bear is also an important thing that has to be considered before installation.
3. Output per panel and system output:
The efficiency of the panel and the solar radiation are factors on which system output depends.
- On these factors, the Capacity Utility Factor or CUF is determined. In India, a CUF of around 19% is considered.
- The number of units that are generated annually is calculated using the below formula
- Units Generated Annually (in Kwh) = System Size in Kw * CUF * 365 * 24
- The CUF depends on the geographical location where the installation of the solar system is being carried out.
4. Cost factor of the solar system set-up:
The price varies depending on the company and the setup.
- A system without battery backup costs less as compared to one with backup.
- The size of the system is also a decisive factor in the cost of solar set-up.
5. Size of the solar system set-up:
The size of the solar setup for home depends on the roof area that is available for the installation. This is a very crucial factor and one needs to ensure that the calculation of the area is done correctly.
Determine the area needed for a 1kW rooftop solar PV system:
It is well-known that the size of the set-up depends on the available rooftop space. What if one wants to do a 1kW rooftop solar PV system installation?
- For this, one needs to divide the available rooftop area with the area of each panel. This has to be multiplied by the panels’ rated output.
- For estimation, one can use 70% of the roof area for installation. But for larger setups 90% area may be needed.
- As a general rule for a 1kw rooftop, a solar PV system 10sq m area is considered.
- Generally, 1kW energy is absorbed by a 1sq m area of the earth. But here the efficiency of the solar panels is an important aspect.
- The efficiency of these panels in the set-up is about 15% to 18%
- This means that in a 1sq m area the power that is generated is around 150W to 180 W.
- Therefore, for 1kW power, a 10 sq m area of the rooftop is needed.
However, this is just an approximate value of the area that is needed. Some factors have to be considered. One of them is the efficiency of the solar panel. Just in case one is using solar panels with higher efficiency then less area might also be sufficient.
Similarly, one more aspect is the shade-free area that is available on the roof. Shade-free area not affected by shade at any time of the day.
So, we can say that approximately 10 sq m or 100 sq ft shade-free area is needed for the generation of 1kW power. This again depends on the solar panel’s efficiency.
Hiring experts is important for the solar power set-up:
Before the solar installation, you have in mind the power that you want from the solar PV system. Now for this as you can see that many factors need to be considered. Many calculations have to be carried out.
The roof has to be analyzed and the available shade-free area has to be taken into consideration. Also, factors like the structure and efficiency of solar panels are crucial. Therefore, for solar panel installation, it is important to hire experts who can provide you with the correct details.
Connecting with Megamax Solar can be a prudent decision:
Hire experts who have a thorough knowledge of solar PV plant installation. Only a person with the right knowledge and experience can provide the right guidance.
Megamax Solar is one company that not only manufactures solar panels that have good efficiency. They also have installation experts who can provide the right details about the area needed for the set-up.
Summary:
Approximately 10sq m area is needed for the generation of 1kW power. But other factors have to be considered to get the exact value. The experts of Megamax Solar can provide the right information about the same.