State wise Policies in India

The amount of energy produced depends on different factors like capacity of the solar power plant installed, amount of solar radiation received, efficiency of solar panels used etc. In India, on an average, a 1MWp solar plant produces 15 lac units per annum. As far as the panels are concerned, they come with different rated specifications such as 320 Wp, 350 Wp etc.

Properly installed solar plants should not cause any damage to your roof. In fact, they add to the aesthetics of the roof. They also tend to protect the roofing materials they cover by shielding them from precipitation, light, and heat. CleanMax does use non-penetration solutions for installing rooftop solar plants to avoid drilling. For RCC roofs, concrete blocks are set up on the rooftop and panels are mounted on these blocks. Hence, no drilling is required on the roof. For metallic roofs, rails are set up on the roof before the installation of solar power plant.

Ideally, solar power plants are installed to convert the sun’s energy directly into electricity. Batteries help in storing the additional energy for later use. But, in general, batteries are costly and require huge maintenance. Thus, the usage of batteries is still not a viable option in India in terms of cost incurred versus benefits accrued. Also, most of these are not lithium ion batteries and hence, the purpose of going green gets defeated. That’s where the concept of net metering comes into the picture. In Net Metering, the grid acts as a huge bank & stores your extra solar power, eliminating the need for an expensive battery bank. A small battery backup system should be sufficient for power outages.

Solar trackers are the devices which direct solar panels or modules towards the sun. These devices change the module orientation throughout the day to follow the sun’s path to maximise energy radiated over them. It has been observed that trackers increase the efficiency of solar panels by 15-20%.

Although solar systems work wonderfully in any and every part of the country, the southern, western and central regions of India are best suited because of the ample amount of sunshine they receive throughout the year.

Solar photovoltaic panels have no moving parts, and therefore require little maintenance, which will include module cleaning with water every 2-4 weeks and preventive electrical maintenance every 3 months.

The solar panels have a warranty for a period of 25 years. However, the projected life is longer.