How to Get Most Out of Solar Street Lights in Kolkata

Solar is a revolutionary invention in the history of mankind. It allows us to use renewable energy to generate electricity. Several kinds of solar products have been introduced so far and one of the most remarkable ones is a solar street light. The powerful equipment has capacity to remove darkness in not only roads but also the areas where conventional light systems cannot reach like hills and forests. If your street is lighting up with solar based street lights, it will be important for you to know how to get most out of the equipment. 

Pick the Right Place to Install the Light System

In terms of choosing the right place, you will have to be careful about selecting the place where proper sunlight is received. The solar panels need proper sunlight to charge the battery. It the road is covered with trees, it may interrupt the solar panel to get proper sunlight to charge the battery. Thus, it cannot possible to get light all through the night. So, the selection of the place should be right.

Change the Battery Every 5-6 Years

The solar panels have lifespan of over 20 years but batteries of these standalone appliance need to monitor to know how much efficient it is to backup power. If the battery is not providing enough backup, it will be a sign to change the battery. Every 5-6 years, batteries may need to replace.

Prefer Only Branded Solar Light Systems

Your solar street lighting system should be in good working condition. For this you may need to exceed your budget to buy a branded system. Make sure whatever the company you are choosing to purchase the system is registered with MNRE in India. You can check the company work experience in the field and also go through the client testimonials. Give time to go through the company details because solar street lights are usually more expensive than conventional street lights. This effort will pay you later when the appliance works for a long period of time.

Maintain Periodically

Your solar equipment can work for a long period of time if you take care of it. So, check the system periodically. Remove the carbon deposited in the panel. Check the automatic switch on and off system to know its working condition. Regular maintained will exceed its working lifespan.

Use Good Quality LED

When the solar street lighting is installed, the company provides an energy efficient LED bulb. It may work for 2 or more years. But when comes to replacement of the light, don’t compromise with quality. Use a branded LED bulb only. 

Reasons for Slow Performance of Old Solar Street Lights

Why my street lights are not performing as well as new? The question pops up many times in your mind. You want to know the lifespan of solar powered street lights. The lighting system gives the best output when it is new but as time passes the performance starts going down. You become confused about what exactly happened. You start thinking that the equipment is now old or needs recycling. Before your come conclusion to replace the device with the new one, it is must to know the reason.

There could be two possible reasons of slow performance of solar street lights- batteries and the location of installation.

Replace the old batteries if they run their life cycle

While you purchase a solar street light, you get its all fixture. After 1-2 years it is obvious to notice that its performance is declining. The light is not so bright as before and is considerably diminishing. It is the signal that the batteries are not doing well and it’s time to replace them. If you want to check the efficacy of the rechargeable batteries, test them by replacing them with regular batteries. If the solar light is performing well with the regular batteries, it means there is something wrong with rechargeable batteries. It’s time to replace them.

The batteries are not charging correctly

This could be another reason that you need to watch out carefully. For the best charging, it is important to clean the solar panel on a regular basis. Dust and other accumulated residues can prevent the solar panel to consume the solar energy properly. Thus, the batteries don’t charge properly. The dust particles form a coating layer on the solar panel and prevent the sunlight.

Take the batteries out if you are storing your solar powered street lights for a long period

In case you are going on a long vacation and you want to store your street lights, don’t forget to take out the batteries. If you do so, the batteries lifespan will be longer.

What is the Location of the street light?

Do you notice this? Batteries will not charge properly if the solar panel is not getting proper sunlight. It may possible that the tree shading is preventing the solar panel to get solar energy. It is also possible that a building shade is preventing the solar panel. There are various possibilities that you have to check out.  If you notice something is creating shade to the panel, replace the street light place.

Buy such kind of products from a reputed solar power plant company. Make sure the company is registered with MNRE. Contact your local solar company for replacing the batteries. You can search online of a local solar installation company. You can make search by putting the name of your place along with the keyword such as solar company in Orissa. The search result will show you active solar agencies of your city or state. Also you can simply visit www.careofenergy.com to narrow down your search.  

Why MNRE Registered Companies for Solar Power Installation?

You may have heard a lot about MNRE. If you are on the way to install solar panels for your home or office, it will be much necessary for you to know about MNRE in detail. It stands for Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

According to reliable sources, under Jawahar Lal Nehru Solar Mission which was initiated in 15^th March 2012, the Indian government had announced to offer 40% subsidy for small solar panel installations. The subsidy is provided through NABARD which stands for National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development. Apart from this, loan facility is also provided to small solar panel installations along with subsidy benefits. The loan period lasts in 5 years.

This is an amazing opportunity which provides multiple benefits such as saving of money, subsidy benefits and at the same time let you support green energy. But do you know all these benefits from the government will be granted to you only when you buy solar panels and other components from an MNRE registered company. If you tend to get the solar installation from a non-MNRE registered company, the government will not provide the aforementioned benefits. So be careful while choosing a solar installation company.

The regulation has been set because the MNRE approved solar manufacturers maintain the quality standard required for solar panels and its related components. They abide with BIS standards. Solar panels are available with long lasting warrantee which can run up to 20 years with a little maintenance. At the same time, it is not so easy to plan out for solar installation because it needs a great amount of finance.

If you think of both points, MNRE companies will give an assurance of long lasting solar products and at the same time they assist you financially by providing a loan. These benefits you cannot get from other non-registered solar manufacturers.  

Looking for MNRE Registered Organizations

To watch out such companies, what steps can you take? It is not much difficult. Today, the internet has proved as a boon to help you out greatly. Browse online by writing the phrase “MNRE Registered companies”. The search engines may show you immediate results. If you want to buy the solar panels from a local MNRE registered organization, synchronize your search by writing the city name along with the phrase like MNRE registered companies in West Bengal, Kolkata. If there is any solar company that is registered and has an online address, the search engines will show you the following company.

There are some other points to notice of the company before you finalize it. Check the work experience, the accolades if it has won and history of installation. Conducting a thorough search about the solar company will be helpful you.

Challenges Faced in Rooftop Solar Power Plant Installation in India

India is gradually adopting renewable energy in form of solar. A number of Indians are using solar lamps, torches and water heaters. Now, many of them are looking forward to rooftop solar power plant solution to become self-dependent in terms electricity. But there are some challenges that forcing them to give up the idea.  The article is focusing on those key challenges.

Funding

This is one of the major challenges. Solar PV installation is not so cost effective. It is a big investment for which you might need to borrow a loan. There are not many funding organizations in India that assist funding for solar at lower interest rates. Funding initiatives like National Solar Mission is a constraint, providing inadequate financial help.

Scarcity of Space

Rooftop solar installation needs adequate space to install solar panels. In countries like India, space is a big problem. Houses are small and fail to provide adequate roof space.

Scarcity of Proper Sunlight

Not only space issues but also the scarcity of sunlight is facing by many houses in India. Per capita land availability is very low, so people like to use the entire space of their land to construct the building. It results in the closeness of one house to the other. Thus, the houses face the problem of proper sunlight. Solar panels need at least 9-10 hours proper sunlight to generate an adequate amount of electricity.

Not Enough Manufacturers

Limited local manufacturers for solar panels and the increasing demand have made the renewable energy inaccessible for many. Many manufacturers are focusing on export markets in order to get more benefits. Many of them have tied-up with foreign players in Europe and US. Therefore, local supply for solar related products is limited. It has made rooftop solar solution expensive.

Among these challenges, solar energy is still in demand in the country. The government of India is offering subsidy on solar plant installation which makes the renewable energy as a perk for small firms and houses. It is a long term investment that provides free energy for more than 20 years. It is one more positive factor that makes solar energy an optimum source of power.  By cutting down unnecessary power consumption and making a few changes in the rooftop, Indians can look forward adopting the energy. Contact a reliable and professional rooftop solar power plant service provider in India to learn about the challenges and their solutions.

Save Electricity with Solar Water Heater Systems

The solar energy has taken the world by storm. The renewable energy saves lots of money. When solar was first introduced, it was solar lamps became the talk of the town. After this solar water heater systems had introduced. It is a wonderful alternative to power based water heaters. Since the heater has been introduced, it has seen many updates to work efficiently and smoothly.

Solar Vs Conventional Water Heaters

When talking about these two different types of heaters, the first thing that triggers mind is electricity consumption. Conventional water heaters are heavy equipment consuming more power, so users have to pay heavy electricity bills. Solar water heaters use the sunlight to heat water. It saves electricity by using renewable energy to heat water.

Different Types of Solar Water Heaters

The solar market offers 2 major solar water heaters.

FPC is best known as Flat Plate Collectors. These are metallic type system which has a longer life.

ETC is best known as Evacuated Tube Collectors. These systems have glass and are so fragile.

These two water heater types have no pump which is used to move water from collectors to the storage tank. With the help of thermosyphon principle, they move water from collectors to the storage tank.

Decision to purchase the Right One

The decision to purchase the solar water heater is based on climate, budget and water quality. Evaluate these three factors before purchasing.

An ETC heater is cheaper and fragile. It is recommended to the area where the climate is sub zero. If the water is salty, it needs regular cleaning because salt is deposited on the inner surface of glass tubes.

An FPC system has metallic finish due to which it is long lasting. But the FPC is cheaper than ETC. It can work in the cold area with sub-zero temperature but it needs an anti-freeze solution.  

While buying the heating equipment, it is must to evaluate your needs. The solar market offers different capacities ranging from 100 to 350.

Contact a reliable MNRE registered solar water heater Company in Kolkata to buy top quality water heaters.  This is safe to buy from an MNRE registered company in terms of quality.  They are reliable firm, maintain product quality.

It is must to set your budget. If your budget is not higher, an ETC system can be bought. The budget is also influenced by the size you would like to purchase.

Maintenance of Solar Water Systems

ETC system is cheaper but it has a major drawback that the glass is fragile. It needs occasional replacement.

Salty water causes deposition of salt so the collectors of the solar water heater need time to time cleaning.

Poor maintenance can lead to leakage to storage tanks or collectors, so it is must contact plumbers for repairing.

The external surface of the heating equipment can be painted to prevent corrosion and longevity. 

Replace Conventional Water Heaters with Solar Water Heaters

Are you tired of paying higher electricity bills? Do you want to cut down your power consumption? It can be possible with solar energy. This renewable source of energy has created a revolutionary change in the world. It has given the platform to save more power and associated with ‘Go Green’ mission. If it is difficult to adopt solar power plant because of budget or any other issue, you still have option in form of solar water heaters. This equipment gives you some kind of relief from a huge electricity bill. Water heaters that need electricity from conventional electricity consume more energy. The appliance plays a big role in increasing the electricity bill. Solar water heaters are a smart alternative to conventional water heaters.

 Two Types of Solar Water Heaters

Consumers are offered with options to choose water heaters. Passive direct systems use a tank that acts both as collector and storage. The system is ideal for homes because they are simple and affordable. It usually needs bracing to install on the rooftop to give support to storage tank.

Active indirect systems are considered in the area where temperature goes down zero degree or more. Pressurized antifreeze systems use a mix of antifreeze to prevent freeze damage.

Technology Required in Solar Water Heaters

The type, size and complexity of a solar water heater is mostly determined by:

Change in the ambient temperature during day/night cycle and solar radiation between summer and winter. While purchasing a solar water heater, always take care of climate in mind. Freeze protection feature should be considered if you are living in the area where temperature goes down zero degree or below. Freeze tolerance feature will allow you to use the heating system for a long time.

Overheat protection is also necessary. While no hot water is used for a day or two, the temperature of water can increase. So use the solar water heater system that stops heating water when the water is heat its desired temperature.

During shopping for the water heater, take care of such requirements. Solar water heaters manufacturers in Kolkata, India design high technology solar water heaters that customers can use for a long time. Installation and maintenance charges of such heating equipment are lower. So, replace your conventional water heaters with modern age solar water heating systems.

Differentiating On and Off Grid Solar Power Systems

The solar energy has created revolutionary changes in the world. It has given a new hope of getting energy without harming nature. Since the solar power has introduced, it has been updated to make it a valuable object that could become an integral part of our lives. Countries like UK, USA, China and India have realized the power of solar and have planned to move to the energy to a large way. Year after year, modification has been seen in the utilities used for solar power. Here you come to know about on and off grid solar systems to choose a suitable one for yourself.

Off Grid
An off-grid is the utility that can make you independent in terms of getting power. Though, the initial investment on off-grid is more than on grid, the result you get is remarkable. Off-grid has several features. It has solar panels and batteries to store electricity to offer you with 24 hours electric supply. Batteries play an important role and distinguish off-grid to on grid. When the solar panels don't generate enough electricity to sustain your household or commercial functions, for example, at night, batteries supply electricity. Thus it offers round the clock power supply.

On Grid
The system has no batteries. It has PV panels, one or several inverter, grid connected equipment and a power conditioning unit. Unlike stand-alone solar system (off grid), a grid connected system is affordable. It is because there are no batteries. When it is a sunny day, the on-grid PV system works smoothly, providing more power than consumption. It offers net metering benefits. It is the net energy between import of grid energy and export of generated energy for a billing month. The system fully utilizes the solar in first priority and the remaining power is taken from the grid. Government of many countries offer subsidies up to 70% for on-grid. The power consumption from the generator is lower with grid connected solar systems.

While you are on the way to plant solar panels, it is must to consider the difference between off grid and grid connected solar power system. Take help from a reliable source like a solar plant company. Clear your doubts. It is a big investment that seems profitable in the upcoming future. Go ahead for to equip your office or home with solar energy. This is a revolutionary way to generate electricity.