The Stars of Indian Solar Market Solar Products Poised to Shine in India

The Stars of Indian Solar Market Solar Products Poised to Shine in India

Image Credit: Loom Solar

India has become a hot solar energy market in the recent times. With high solar radiation levels and a friendly government at the Centre, the country has witnessed a slew of policies and reforms aiming at the promotion of renewable energy in India. Solar energy in India is growing at a fast clip with the country attaining a cumulative installed renewable energy capacity of 70 GW last year. The country currently ranks fifth in terms of renewable energy capacity. India’s recent announcement of installation of 227 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 is further evidence of the country’s commitment towards clean energy.

Solar energy in India is gaining momentum with solar power being used in all walks of life ranging from solar on rooftops, big parks, street lights, microgrids, to small commercial products and transportation in India. Few solar energy products such as solar lamps, solar water pumps, microgrids etc. have completely reformed the lives of people in rural parts of India.

However, manufacturing has still not gathered pace in India. The Indian solar product companies lack the technology and sophistication of foreign manufactures. In general, products from tier 1 manufacturers are more expensive but are more efficient. Therefore, majority of products is imported in India. Some of the most prominent solar energy products used in India are:

Solar panels – Solar panels are the best selling solar products in India. They are the medium through which sunlight is captured which is later converted into useful electricity. Some of the leading domestic solar panel brands in India are Luminous, Sukam, Microtek, Adani Solar, Vikram Solar, Waaree Energies, Emvee PV Ltd., Tata Power Solar, Lanco etc. However, given the high demand, a majority of solar products are imported from neighbouring countries like China. Leading Tier 1 Chinese brands such as Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, JA Solar, Risen Energy, GCL, Talesun, Jinko Solar, Hanwha Solar are also selling panels in India.

The leading thin film solar company of US, First Solar has also captured a sizeable portion of the Indian solar market as thee Indian weather is conducive for thin film solar modules. A Luminous solar panel could cost you approximately INR 25 - INR 40 per watt of power generated in India, depending upon the brand and the quantities you buy. These panels typically come with 10 years manufacturer and 25 years performance warranty.

Solar inverters - ABB, Huawei, Luminous, Sungrow, TMEIC, SMA, Hitachi, TBEA, Fronius, Delta, Gamesa, GE etc. are few of the most prominent solar inverter brands in India. Both off-grid or stand alone and grid tied solar inverters are prevalent in the Indian market, but Luminous off grid solar inverters are more popular. Generally string inverters are more commonly used for rooftop solar for residential and commercial establishments. Micro inverters, prevalent in the western parts of the globe, are the best option for residential solar but still not commonly seen in India. Inverter price ranges between INR 6 - INR 12 in India.

Solar batteries - The main concern in using solar energy is its intermittent nature. The usage of batteries is therefore, recommended for making solar completely independent of the grid. Batteries are needed to store the energy generated to be used later when required.

Battery costs have fallen by 80% in the last seven years and expected to fall by another 4050% in the next five years. But it is still considered expensive in the price sensitive Indian market. There is a lack of large-scale demand for lithium batteries in India and hence prices have not come down as rapidly as that of solar panels. Storage seems to be the only solution for the growing transmission and distribution problems in India. Some of the popularly used Luminous solar batteries in India are Exide, Luminous, Su-Kam and Okaya. The cost of solar storage ranges between INR 6 –INR 10 per kW. Solar Charge controllers - A Luminous charge controller regulates the energy flowing from PV arrays into batteries. It prevents batteries from overcharging. It converts a higher voltage DC output from solar panels to lower voltage for batteries.

Other than these, there are many other solar energy products in India for home. Solar energy has rapidly become mainstream with solar prices falling rapidly over the last few years. It totally makes sense to go solar especially if you are staying at places with huge power cuts or no grid connectivity. Solar plus storage is very popular in Germany and Australia where economics are driving the rapid adoption of rooftop solar systems.

Source: https://www.loomsolar.com/ Location: Haryana, India: 18-July-2018 – Wednesday