Bringing The Sun closer to Home

BRINGING THE SUN

CLOSER TO HOME
2012

Delhi Public School Ghaziabad

Delhi Public School Ghaziabad

Bringing The Sun closer to Home

Team members:ANIRUDH ROY

UTKARSH SINGHAL
SRIJAN KUMAR
NANDINI AGNIHOTRI

Abstract
Necessity is the mother of invention holds true in every aspect of life. Here we
are talking about the most important necessity of the modern life style i.e.
energy needs. It is not possible to think of life without electricity today. Grids
being the sole suppliers of electricity succumb to the demands of electricity
resulting in frequent and long durational power cuts. The problem increases
exponentially during the peak summers and the situation is getting worse every
year due to the ever increasing demand of power because of global warming.
Power backup using batteries with inverters and diesel for generators is one of
the most prevalent practices. Charging inverter batteries by using the electricity
supplied by the grids adds further load on them compounding the problem
further. Generators are capital intensive and incur huge running cost due to the
ever increasing diesel prices, mostly used in commercial outfits.
Such a situation has made us think beyond the available sources of power
supply and this made us explore the idea of using solar power which is
thankfully free of cost and is in abundance. Installation of solar panels does
require a good amount of monetary investment but its maintenance cost and
charging will come almost free.

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Apart from monetary gain, solar panel inverter battery charger is eco-friendly as
it doesnt emit any harmful pollutants. Also, those who already have inverters
will have to invest only in the solar panels to get the benefits. As per our study
we conclude that solar panel inverter battery charger is a very strong option for
the future. However as of now we cannot make it a household commodity as it
is not so cost effective. Initial high capital investment is deterrent for the
installation of the solar panels and may not seem to be an attractive option for
many. However this option can be worked upon to make it cost effective such as
long term lease rent or Government Incentives for going green.
The seed of this option has been sowed; it needs to be germinated to flourish as
the most effective way of power backup and as a substitute for regular power
supply. It can be boosted further with the support of the government incentives
and our own initiatives by being change maker.

Acknowledgements
Our School Principal Mrs. Jyoti Gupta
Our Headmistress Mrs. Kala Nagarkoti
Our teacher and Guide Mrs. Soma Singh for her guidance at
every step
Parents for providing resources and guidance and support
Mr. Manish Goel of Goel Sales for providing information about
the inverters, battery pricing, market sizeetc. in Ghaziabad.
Various distributers for sharing quotes
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Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION........................................................................1
2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.......................................1
3. HYPOTHESIS-........................................................................... 2
4. NEED STATEMENT..................................................................... 2
5. WORK PLAN............................................................................. 3
6. METHODOLOGY........................................................................4
7. SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLE INVOLVED...............................................5
8. RESEARCH FINDINGS..............................................................12
9. CONCLUSION..........................................................................12
10. FUTURE PLANS.....................................................................12
11. REFERENCES........................................................................13
12. ANNEXURES.........................................................................14

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1. Introduction
A typical Ghaziabad household has an inverter of either 600VA or 800VA capacity
with a single 100AH battery or 150 AH battery. During summers, when the power
cut is of more than 8-12 hrs.The batteries do not get charged enough; thus they
cannot provide the desired power backup for3-5 hrs. Therefore, weare forced to
buy either a double battery inverter system or a generator sets, latter being more
expensive. Thus the need arose for seeking other alternatives.
The magnitude of this problem can be gauged from the fact that more than 4
million users use inverter which is less than or sometimes equal to 1 Kilowatt. This
problem is not just limited to Ghaziabad. A study conducted by Universal
Consulting reveals that many other cities like Delhi -NCR are facing a similar
problem. They have outages ranging from 4-6 hrs.(for further reference refer to
Exhibit 1 and exhibit 2 of article Reluctantly Redundant published by Universal
Consulting (Annexure 1).Further studies reveal that mostly people use 800VA
inverter for running 2 fans,2 tube lights and 1 TV for 3 hours. The premium paid
above the grid cost increases with the increase in the duration of outages. People
roughly pay 80% premium for an 800 VA inverter. The premium mainly includes the
battery capital expenditure as it has to be replaced from every 2-3 years. Whereas
the inverter has to be replaced after every 8 years.( for further reference refer to
Exhibit 5 and 6 of article Reluctantly Redundant published by
Universal
Consulting. Annexure 1
However most of the households are not aware of this fact that they have to pay
80% premium. A study reveals that only 20-40% people are aware of this fact.(for
further reference refer to Exhibit 14 (Annexure 1) of article Reluctantly
Redundant published by Universal Consulting).Indian households have invested
a staggering Rs.1,00,000 crores in power backup equipment. Out of this amount Rs
46,000 croresis invested in inverters and batteries only. Another Rs.30,000 crores
is spentas the annual operating cost out of which Rs. 1,500 crores is invested as
the annual operating cost of inverters and batteries only.
Even after investing so much in power backup system we are not able to get
adequate power backup as batteries do not get fully charged, therefore we have to
use double battery inverter system that costs double or look for an alternate option
to get maximum power backup from our 800 VA inverter with a single 100 AH
battery.

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2. Aims and objectives of the study

To study the feasibility of converting existing household inverter into solar powered
inverter.

3. HypothesisHousehold inverters can successfully be transformed into a solar powered inverter.

4. Need Statement
Longer duration of power backup in cost effect manner especially during summers
when power cut is more than 8-12 hours a day.
Most of the Indian households are not having electricity access due to
unavailability of grids and have to install inverters which charge batteries from the
mains and use the same electricity during the periods of non availability of grid.
The grid supply is generally not available from 30%-50% of time in the small
towns.
These inverters when under the charging mode create additional peak demand on
the grids. Integrating solar Photovoltaic with existing home inverter system can
provide relief to the households for additional charging option apart from normal
grid charging of the storage batteries and will also reduce the system peak which
creates another set of problems to the utilities.
A special device is required which can convert our existing home inverter in to a
solar which can charge the existing battery through the solar panels as well. The
home owner has to install this converter along with the existing inverter which also
acts as AA battery charge controller and connects the AC mains & load output
control system all in one.

5. Work Plan
Step1- All our group members sat together and identified the problem and
confirmed that this problem is not only our problem but a large number of peoples
too.
Step 2- Next we all started brainstorming for finding the possible solution to our
problem. We also thought on the criteria on which we should evaluate our
proposed solutions.
Sep 3- Each one us gave certain new ideas and we assessed the options against
the criteria we had defined earlier. The criteria for selecting the option were:
Should be green technology
Requires least maintenance
cost
Delhi Public School Ghaziabad
Easily available in market
Easy to install

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Step 4- Finally we chose the idea of solar powered inverter based on criteria
selected by us.
Step 5- Then we all discussed what all has to be done for this project and divided
ourselves in subgroups
Step 6- Next we distributed our work among ourselves and decide to meet at pre
defined dates to check the progress of the work done at regular interval
Step 7- Then we compiled all the necessary information for the project and took
feedback from our guides and mentors.
Step 8- Once compiled we reviewed the viability of the option and conducted a
survey to checkif the same can be implemented on large scale.
Step 9- We assessed the pros and cons of our options and discussed with our
guides and mentors.
Step 10- Finally we compiled the recommendations.

6. Methodology
Group A did extensive research on
Made the report
Home Power Back Up Case study
Log book
Group B worked on
Charts and posters
Model
Validation of recommendations of Group A

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7.

Scientific principle
involved

i.

Working of a solar panel

Solar panels generate free power from the sun by converting sunlight to electricity
with no moving parts, zero emissions, and no maintenance. The solar panel, the
first component of a solar energy system, is a collection of individual silicon cells
that generate electricity from sunlight. The photons (light particles) produce an
electrical current as they strike the surface of the thin silicon wafers. A single solar
cell produces only about 1/2 (.5) of a volt. However, a typical 12 volt panel about
25 inches by 54 inches will contain 36 cells wired in series to produce about 17
volts peak output.
If the solar panel can be configured for 24 volt output, there will be 72 cells so the
two 12 volt groups of 36 each can be wired in series, usually with a jumper,
allowing the solar panel to output 24 volts. When under load (charging batteries for
example), this voltage drops to 12 to 14 volts (for a 12 volt configuration) resulting
in 75 to 100 watts for a panel of this size.

The 3 basic types of Solar Panels are:

Monocrystalline solar panels:The most efficient and expensive solar
panels are made with Monocrystalline cells. These solar cells use very pure silicon
and involve a complicated crystal growth process. Long silicon rods are produced
which are cut into slices of .2 to .4 mm thick discs or wafers which are then
processed into individual cells that are wired together in the solar panel.

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Polycrystalline solar panels: Often called Multi-crystalline, solar panels
made with Polycrystalline cells are a little less expensive & slightly less efficient
than mono crystalline cells because the cells are not grown in single crystals but in
a large block of many crystals. This is what gives them that striking shattered glass
appearance. Like Mono-crystalline cells, they are also then sliced into wafers to
produce the individual cells that make up the solar panel.

Amorphous solar panels: These are not really crystals, but a thin layer of
silicon deposited on a base material such as metal or glass to create the solar
panel. These Amorphous solar panels are much cheaper, but their energy
efficiency is also much less so more square footage is required to produce the
same amount of power as the Mono-crystalline or Polycrystalline type of solar
panel. Amorphous solar panels can even be made into long sheets of roofing
material to cover large areas of a south facing roof surface.

ii. Working principle of inverters, Battery backup and Sizing of

battery
When choosing an inverter we have to decide on the following:
Output produced by the inverter.

Our utility power provides/ produces a Sine Wave form. It is therefore important
that inverters also produce the same waveform.
Size of inverter needed

The inverter siz0e (600VA, 800VA, 1400VA, 3KVA, 5.5KVA) will determines "which
appliances / how much" we can power. In order to choose the right inverter size we
have to find out how much wattage is required to run our equipment. Most
appliances have their wattage stamped on a back panel or listed in the owners
manual. If our appliance only shows the AMPS, we have to use this simple
calculation:
230 volts x Amps = Watts.
Here consideration should be given to what we will be running at any given time.
Although the inverter can be connected to a lot of items, we will only be running a
few items at a time. (eg. Inverter connected to computer and TV, but we would
only use one item at any given time.) Thus, our load will be relatively low. It may
not be necessary to have an inverter to run everything, but rather what we
would use at one time.
Which inverter with which batteries

The battery size (100 Amp/hr. (AH), 105AH, 165AH, 200AH) determines how long
the inverter will run during a power cut.
Inverter Types:
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600VA 1 battery system (12V) (100AH to 165AH)
800VA 1 battery system (12V) (100AH to 165AH)
1400VA 2 battery system (24V) (165AH to 200AH)
3KVA 4 battery system (48V) (165AH to 200AH)
5.5KVA 8 battery system (96V) (165AH to 200AH)
It should be noted that the backup times will vary according to the batteries we
choose. Bigger batteries than stated above as the inverter are not recommended
as it will not be able to fully charge

NOTE: For our calculation purpose we have used 800

VA Inverter with 150 AH Battery

8. Research findings
i. Home Power Back Up- Case study
We have an inverter with a backup capacity of 800 VA and a battery of 150 AH. It
can run 1 fan, 7 CFLs, a 54 cm T.V and 1 computer at the same time for 2 hours
(approx.). We can calculate the duration of backup by the following formulae:
Battery AH x Battery voltage / inverter capacity(in our case) 150AHx12V/800VA
=2.25 hours (at full load)
Running our inverter
at full load = 2.25 hours
at half load= 4.5 hours

We do not get 4.5hrs of back up due to power

cuts of 8-12 hrs. during peak summer even on
50% load.

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Our belief got bolstered when we accidently hit upon a site stating that such an
innovation has just recently launched in the Chennai market. The news excerpt is
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 (IANS) Ronds Innotech Saturday launched a home inverter here that runs on
solar power and if attached to home appliances like fans and televisions can considerably reduce electricity
bills.
"The product ('Smart Solar Inverter') will be available initially in south India and then expanded to other
markets. The price range begins from Rs.29,000 for the base model," said Sijo Joseph, CEO, Ronds Innotech.
The company is based in Techno park, a technology hub in Thiruvananthapuram.
The device, the first of its kind, is equipped with an inbuilt embedded performance tracking system and can
communicate with a remote PC. Joseph said the device is developed to support all home appliances such as
lights, fans, televisions and all household electrical equipment.
The 'Smart Solar Inverter' is an innovative and patented technology that can reduce electricity bills
considerably. It works both on solar and normal mode.
Moreover, the company has also developed a facility to convert existing inverters at home to a smart solar
inverter by adding Rond Solar Hybrid Automated Power Controlling Unit (APCU). The inverter's automated
power source selection mechanism (APSS) automates the power selection between AC mains and solar power.
If there is sufficient power from the sunlight, APSS will directly run the applications from sunlight without
taking power from AC mains supply, thus reducing the electricity bill to a great extent and if the load
connected requires more power, APSS will change power source to AC mains supply.
"There is always a growth and scope of innovative ideas like these which are helping us making our lives
better, these new innovations bring in a positive array of thoughts in minds of other entrepreneurs," said K.C.
Chandrashekharan Nair, Registrar, Techno park TBI, launching the device.

mentioned below:

ii. Compatibility of solar panels system with existing inverters

Our study revealed that solar panel system can be connected to the existing
inverter with a simple charge controller. Various vendors have the solution but
none of them are marketing it aggressively. Instead they suggest double battery
inverters designed by them.

iii. List of manufacturers

List of few solar panel inverter manufacturers and retailers downloaded from India
Mart website (Annexure 2).
AOV International, Greater Noida
Apex International, Noida
Shiv Power Corporation, Noida
Indosol Energy Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
Yugma Impressions, Aurangabad
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Kavita Solar Energy Pvt. Ltd., Ghaziabad

iv. Costing

We contacted a few vendors with following specifications and got the quotes. The
specification is as mentioned below:
4 x 80 watt panel= 320 watt
Panel voltage= 12 V
Current produced= 26.67 Amps
Efficiency= 90%
Net current produced= 26.67*90%=24 amps
Battery Capacity= 150 AH
Time required for charging = Battery capacity/net current produced
= 150/24 or 6.25 hrs.
We have taken 3 quotes (Annexure 3)
Anantam Solar, Lajpat Nagar New Delhi- Rs 30,000/- plus installation cost
EPL India ltd, Noida, UP- Rs 31,000/- plus installation cost
Kumar Thakkar, Belifal Innovations, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Rs 38,500/-plus taxes

We are assuming that the whole installation will

cost Rs35,000/- all inclusive taking the lowest
offer of Rs 30,000/-.
v. Maintenance
Solar panels require least maintenance. They only have to be wiped with a wet
cloth on a monthly basis. Batteries require routine maintenance which we all are
aware of.

vi. Warranty and life span

Solar panels have average life of 20-25 years
Inverter has average life of 8 years
Battery has average life of 2 years for due to extreme power cuts

vii. Area covered and orientation

Each panel is of 3x3. Approximate area covered-70-100 sq. ft. Orientation of the
panels is such that they get maximum sunlight. South facing is ideal facing as the
sun stays longer in this direction while travelling from East to West.
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viii. Cost-benefit analysis
Since we are not getting 2.25hrs hrs. back up during the peak summer and
investing in 7.5 kV. A Diesel Generator set is very expensive so we thought of
comparing the existing Inverter with 320 watt solar panel connection vs. 1400 VA
Inverter with 2x150 AH battery system.
(In proposed case) 300AHx12V/1400VA =2.6 hrs. (at full load)
Running our inverter
At full load = 2.6 hours
At half load= 5.2 hours
Since our calculation purpose is just taking 400 VA load hence the backup should
be for 9 hours if the battery is 100% charged. But as we are getting just 50% of
the time to charge the battery hence it will work for 4.5 hrs. This is our need during
the peak outage.
The comparison was done for:
Option 1: 800 VA inverter with 150 AH Single battery and 32O KW Solar Panel
VS
Option 2: 1400 VA inverter with 2x 150 AH battery
For simplicity of understanding only one time capital cost and replacement cost of
battery and inverter has been considered. Power consumption, inflation,
depreciation has been ignored in the calculation. The results based on analysis
exhibited in Table 1 are:
The comparison (Table 1) reveals that Initial Capital cost of Option 1 is more than
Option 2. Thats one of the reason that people go for Option 2.
On analyzing the life cycle it is clear that Option 2 cumulative Capital expenditure
+Operating expenditure doubles in 8 years while in option 1 it increases by only
46%.
Deeper probing release that Option 2 total expenditure exceeds Option 1
marginally in Year 6 i.e. Option 1 becomes profitable after Year 6 and there on.

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Table 1

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9. Conclusion
Since the initial capital investment is high, people tend to purchase either double
battery inverter or 7.5 KVA DG set which is not green technology and requires high
operating cost of diesel which is on rise.
Since the gestation of recovery period is high i.e.- 6 years, people will go for Option
2. Option 1 will become more attractive as the solar panel costs falls, as it is
happening in case of mobile handsets. Already the cost of solar panels have come
down from Rs 150/watt to Rs 75/watt. Further if Government provides incentives
for opting for solar panels, at domestic level, like being done for large solar power
projects, it will boost the conversion.
However there are strong followers of Green Power who adopt solar power inverters
even against all odds like Mr. Jose George, a resident of Sector 22 Dwarka, New Delhi
whose interview was published in Deccan Herald. According to him:
I got a One KW solar panel installed at
my place five years ago. Initially, it did
burn a hole in my pocket and I was also
skeptical if it would bring me any benefit
but in the long run, it has. All the lightload appliances in my three-bedroom flat
are run on the power generated from the
solar panel; the heavy-load appliances
like AC, fridge and water motor are run on
the normal electricity supply, and my
electricity bill has come down from Rs
5000 per month to just Rs 1000. Besides,
I recovered the whole amount I had
invested in the solar panel in three
years.
He adds, Now, I am completely tension
free from power cuts and even my

10. Future Plans

Further study of our option and look for alternate technologies which increase our
existing battery back up in shortest possible time.
Demo project at our school for Option 1.
Writing proposals to the Government for providing incentives for opting for solar
panels less than 1 KW.

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11. References
www.microtekinverters.com/battery.htm
www.microtekinverters.com/glossary.htm
First Green Consulting, Dr. Sanjay Vashishta
electroschematics.com/5730/inverter-backup-some-facts/
www.leonics.com/support/article2_12j/articles2_12j_en.php
www.indosolenergy.in/hybrid-inverters.html
tharanthi.com/Inverter_UPS/Articles/Power_Consumption_Table.html
www.microtekinverters.com/howto.htm
Policy Group Quarterly December 2009 Website: http://www.idfc.com
www.solarinvertersindia.in/price-option-1100watt.html
www.universalconsulting.com
catalogs.indiamart.com/products/solar-home-systems.html
www.deccanherald.com/content/257890/bringing-sun-home.html
www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/08/25/281--Smart-solar-inverterlaunched-in-Kerala-.html

12. Annexures
Annexure 1: Reluctantly Redundant: The real cost of power
Annexure 2: List of suppliers
Annexure 3: Quote from vendors
Annexure 4: News article about new product launch converting existing inverter to
smar solar inverter
Annexure 5 : News article user feedback

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13. Glossary of Terms

Amp
A measurement of the flow of electrical current.One Amp is equal to the electric
force of one volt
acting across the resistance of one OHM.

Amp-Hour
One AMP of electrical current flowing for one hour. Expresses the relationship
between voltage and
resistance ( OHMS Law A=V/R )

Current
The rate of flow of electrical charge. The flow of amps is often expressed as
current.

Kilowatt (kW)
One thousand watts of electricity.Ten-100 watt light bulbs use one KILOWATT of
electrical power.

Kilowatt Hour (kWh)

One KW of electrical power used for one hour. The most common measurement of
electricalconsumption, most electrical meters measure KW/H for billing purposes.

Load
Any device that consumes electricity in order to operate.Appliances, fans and
lights are examples ofelectrical loads. The amount of power the equipment is
drawing from the inverter at any given time.
e.g. if you have an 800W inverter and drawing 400W, your inverter is running at
half its load.

Sine Wave
The output wave form of an electric generator or utility. A smooth wave going
above and below zero iscreated.

VOLTS
A unit of measurement of the pressure in an electrical circuit.Volts are a measure
of electric potential.

WATT(s)
A quantitative measurement of electrical power.Watts are calculated by multiplying
volts times amps.(
watts=volts x amps x power factor ).

WATT HOUR (WH)

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Electrical power measured in terms of time.One Watt Hour of electricity is equal to
one watt of powerbeing consumed for one hour.( A one-watt light operated for one
hour would consume one watt hour ofelectricity).

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