What are Solar Panels Solar Panels are in general Silicon made Rectangular Shaped Glass Covered Produc

ts which Produce Electricity when exposed to the Sun.These Panels produce Direct Current (DC) Electricity which has to be converted by a Solar Inverter to Alter nating Current (AC) Electricity to be used by Consumers .Note Solar Electricity can also be supplied to the Electricity Grid if allowed by your Utility.However in India,the industry is still immature and interconnections are not given to or dinary consumers in general.So you can use an Energy Storage Device to store Ele ctricity.However Energy Storage Products like Chemical Batteries are quite expen sive.Solar Panel produced Electricity usually costs between Rs 15-18 /KwH (much higher than the Rs 3-6/unit paid normally) which makes it uneconomical except in special cases like off grid applications.Replacing expensive Diesel powered Tel ecom Towers with Solar Panels is also an option.Sharply falling Solar Panel cost s should make it competitive with your electricity in 2-3 years.In places like I taly,Solar Electricity is already competitive due to high prices of electricity. Why Use Solar Panels? Solar Energy in India represents one of the Biggest Opportunities in the Energy Sector.The Government has recognized India s massive potential in Solar Energy and h as planned a huge subsidy scheme through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mis sion (JNNSM).While currently the Support is mainly targeted towards big commerci al plants,its only a matter of time before distributed residential systems becom e widespread.Some states like Gujarat and Rajasthan are also independently suppo rting solar energy through subsidies and grants. How much does one Solar Panel Typically Cost ? Note Solar Panels prices differ widely depending on the technology,power,brand a nd quality.Thin Film Panels in general cost lower than crystalline silicon panel s.Higher Power Panels have a higher price as they generate more electricity.Good Brands also have a higher price tag while cheap imported Chinese panels cost le ss.Solar Panel prices have decreased by almost 50% in the last 2-3 years and now sell for around Rs 1800-2500 ($400-$550) per panel internationally and should f all to around Rs 1000 in the next 3-4 years . However for small installations ,p anels can only be bought from distributors which is more expensive and can cost you almost 50% more.Note Solar Panels form only a part of the total Solar System Cost.The total cost of installation,equipment and wiring can cost upto Rs 300,0 00($6500)/Kilowatt. What are the Major Steps in Making a Solar Panel A Crystalline Silicon Solar Panel usually goes through 5 major steps before bein g produced.These 5 intermediary stages can all be done by the same company or di fferent companies.First Polysilicon is cast into Ingots ,then Sliced into Wafers .These Very Thin Wafers are then Made into Solar Cells.These Solar Cells are Ene rgy Units which actually convert Solar Energy into Electricity.Solar Cells are t hen Joined Together to Form a Solar Panel.The Panel is then put into a Frame and enclosed in Glass.Note there are different costs and processes associate with e ach step.The most technologically challenging step is the making of the cells.Ho wever equipment for making these intermediate products is widely and easily avai lable. Which Companies make Solar Panels in India There are a number of Companies manufacturing Solar Panels in India and the dome stic content requirements of JNNSM will give a further impetus to indigenous sol ar production in India.While upstream solar products like polysilicon and wafers are made outside of India,downstream solar products like cells and modules are made by some companies in India.Note most of the solar panels made in India is d one through mainstream crystalline silicon manufacturing while a very small amou nt of production by Moser Baer is done through Thin Film amorphous Silicon (a-Si ) Technology.The costs of the Indian manufacturers are higher than integrated Ch inese companies like Trina Solar,LDK which make raw materials inhouse.Due to low costs of transportation it might be cheaper for consumers to import solar panel s from outside of India. What are the Different Types of Solar Panels Size

Solar Panels come in all sorts of sizes,colours and power.Solar Panels of 20-40 Watts are typically used for applications like a Solar Lamp,Lantern and products using small amounts of power.For Putting Solar Panels on the Roof for Generatio n of Electricity,sizes vary from 150 Watts to 300 Watts. Type and Color There are also 2 different types of Crystalline Silicon Panels a) Monocrystalline b) Multicrystalline Panels.In general Monocrystalline Panels give higher amounts of power and cost more.Solar Panels generally come in blue color though black c olor can also be found. Thin Film Panels Thin Film Panels are generally used for Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications where the Panels are integrated as a part of the Building Structure .This is in not prevalent in India as of now but will become quite pervasive in the future. List of Major Solar Panel Companies 1) Tata BP Solar 2) Moser Baer 3) Solar Semiconductor 4) IndoSolar 5) Topsun Solar 6) Titan Energy 7) PLG Power 8 ) Maharishi Solar 9) Kotak Urja 10)Photon Energy Systems Note there are some other solar module producers as well.Note most of these comp anies import solar cells which are the main technology differentiators as there is very little addition in solar module production part of the supply chain. How to Buy Low Cost Panels If you are a large consumer then the best way to buy low cost panels is to impor t them from China or Taiwan.There are many high quality companies existing in th ese countries like Suntech,Trina Solar,Yingli Green Energy etc.In fact a number of these companies supply panels to high priced European and American companies. However if you are a small buyer then you have to look for a distributor/wholesa ler who can sell you a good quality brand at low costs.Typically you have to pay 30-40% more for panels from these suppliers than directly buying from the compa nies themselves. List of Solar Panel Distributors and Wholesalers Where to Buy Solar Panels Besides Solar Panel Producers,there are a number of wholesalers and distributors who sell solar panels to small customers.You can find different lists of these distributors from different sources which are given below.Note you have to do yo ur own due diligence in finding distributors who give you good quality solar pan els at low cost. 1) ENF Database 2) Alibaba 3) TradeIndia 4) Solar Power in India JNNSM,Technology,Solar Power Manufacturers