If you are looking forward to buying solar panels but have a lot of questions about solar panels then this article is for you. In this article, I’ve covered all the important questions that people ask very often.
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What is a solar panel?
A solar panel, or PV module, is a plate of solar cells mounted in a strong framework. Solar panels use sunlight as a source of energy to generate electricity.
Who should use solar panels?
Solar panels are mostly used by the following four types of people:
- People who are living in a remote are with no to very less electricity.
- People who want to reduce their electricity bill.
- People who own a business or a building where the roof is not of any use.
- Environment Lovers.
How many types of solar panels are there?
Currently, there are 5 types of solar panels widely available in the market.
- Polycrystalline Solar Panels.
- Monocrystalline Solar Panels.
- Mono PERC Solar Panels.
- Bifacial Solar Panels.
- Half-Cut Solar Panels.
How to choose the best solar panel company?
There are over 100 solar companies active right now in India and most of these produce high-quality solar panels. Still, the one thing that separates the best solar companies is their after-sales service.
The company that has maximum service centers clearly has an advantage and should be considered the best solar panel company.
Solar panels price in 2022
Solar panel prices differ from brand to brand and also from category to category. An off-grid solar panel system is a bit expensive as it includes batteries, while an on-grid system is cheap as there are no batteries.
Also, there are various subsidy schemes available by the central and the state government which can reduce the cost of the solar panel system by up to 40%. However, these subsidy schemes are only available for on-grid solar panel systems.
You can check out our article on Solar Panel Subsidy in India.
What is the warranty on solar panels, solar inverter, batteries & GI structure?
Most solar panels come with a manufacturer warranty of 10-12 years and a performance warranty of up to 25 years. This means any manufacturing defects will be covered in the warranty for 10-12 years.
Warranty on solar inverters is the same as on any other regular inverter which is around 2 years as provided by most of the brands in India.
Warranty on batteries differs from brand to brand and from model to model. Usually, the warranty on a battery starts from 2 years and can go up to 6 years. It is advised to go for batteries with a maximum warranty.
Solar panel structure doesn’t come with a warranty but the structure material should be strong which can withstand the weather for at least 25 years (as the performance warranty on solar panels is 25 years). GI, also known as galvanized iron, is the material used for solar panels structure. It is iron with a zinc coating which protects it from rusting and increases its life.
What is the maintenance of solar panels?
Once the solar panels are installed, all you have to make sure is to keep the panels cleaned. It’s simple – the cleaner the solar panels are, the more electricity they will generate.
All you have to do is clean the dust and bird poop off the solar panels. This can be done with tap water. Make sure you clean the solar panels at least once a month. This frequency could be increased or decreased depending on the area you live.
What type of wire is used for solar panels?
Primarily, there are 2 types of wires available in the market – AC & DC. Out of these two, DC wire should be used for solar panels connection. DC wires are made with double insulated layers which help them withstand the direct sunlight as compared to normal AC wire.
What is the battery backup of solar panels?
You can connect the battery backup as per your requirement. The more battery backup you need, the more the number of solar panels you have to install.
How to check solar panels requirements for your home?
You can check your solar panels’ requirement by calculating the total wattage consumption of all the appliances that you want to run on solar. I’ve created a small video that will help you out with this.
Alternatively, you can also check the number of units your house consumes in a day from the electricity meter. By the rule of thumb, a 1KW poly solar panel system generates between 4-6 units on a bright sunny day. In this way, you can understand the electricity consumption vs the solar panels’ requirement.
How much electricity bill can be reduced from solar panels?
This depends on the number of solar panels you’ve installed against your requirement. If you’ve installed enough solar panels to meet your requirement then your electricity bill can be reduced to zero.
Do solar panels work in bad weather or during winters?
The solar panel needs sunlight to generate electricity. Most type of solar panels doesn’t work during bad weather. However, as time passes, research and development teams are trying to increase the efficiency of solar panels to the level where they could generate electricity even in bad weather.
Mono PERC solar panels are said to generate electricity in low light. But still, expecting solar panels to generate electricity during winter or bad weather is still a dream.
Can we install solar panels on the existing inverter and battery?
Yes, you can install solar panels on your existing normal inverter and batteries. Solar inverters have inbuilt charge controllers which help in evenly distributing the current to the batteries. However, your regular inverter does not have a charge controller.
So, if you want to install a solar panel system on your old inverter and battery, you should get a charge controller unit along with your solar panels.
Here is a complete article on how to install new solar panels on an old inverter and batteries.
Can we run heavy loads like AC & a submersible pump on solar panels?
Yes, by increasing the number of solar panels you can increase its current generating capacity. This will help you run heavy-load appliances on solar.
Do we need government or electricity board’s permission to install solar panels?
The answer to this question is both yes and no. If you are planning to install an off-grid solar panel system then you don’t need the government or electricity board’s permission.
However, if you are planning to install an on-grid solar panel system then you need permission from your electricity board. An on-grid system requires connection into the mainline coming to your house via electricity pole and hence, this needs electricity board’s permission.
Subsidy on solar panels
Subsidy process and amount on solar panels installation differ from state to state. Every state’s subsidy scheme is different. To understand this, you need to contact your electricity board.
You can check out our article on Solar Panel Subsidy in India.