Why I Opted for Solar Panel Installation?
With the recent inflation and hike in the electricity bills, I had to opt for some energy solutions. I belong to southern Punjab where weather/temperature could go up to (45 c) during summer. Therefore, deliberate and excessive usage of air conditioner increases (along with other household electric items). Eventually, that gives a spike to electricity bills. Moreover, we also face electricity shortage during summer. Therefore, a energy solutions was really required. I was convinced through some sources that installing solar panels can reduce the electricity bills. Since my area gets a lot of sunlight during the summer, I thought it would be a good idea to install solar panels. That is way, I can make use of the sun’s rays and save on my energy bills.
Table of Contents
Major Factors I Considered for Solar Panel Installation
Cutting it short, below are the major key factors that took my attention for a solar panel installation:
- Electricity bills
- Utilizing sunrays
- Energy backup
- Cope with electricity shortage
- Sustainable/eco friendly environment
To be honest I was not aware of all the solar panels, inverters companies available out there. And what technology they use and how one is better than other. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t explore the available options in my area and googled the top solar plates/inverters. In the meantime, my uncle (who basically is a solar installation expert in some other city) suggested me to go for a 3.6KW (500 Vdc) Fronus inverter with 8 polycrystalline Zonergy solar plates (370W each) and two Phoenix TX 2500 tubular batteries. Without any second opinion, I asked him to buy all the required gadgets (plates, inverter, essential electric wiring items) and install it ASAP (as soon as possible).
Below are the Details of the Inverter, Solar Panel, and Battery
- Fronus 3.6KW
- Phoenix TX 2500
- Zonergy Solar Plates (370W)
Technical Challenges Faced During the Installation
Before diving into the technical challenges that you may face before solar installation, I would first like to elaborate/explain the electricity wiring/usage of my home. It’s a double story home with two electric meters operating story wise. Following are the details of my electric items:
Ground Floor
- 1 Refrigerator
- 3 Ceiling Fans
- 1 Water Dispenser
- 1 Iron
- Electric Water Pump
- 1 Air Conditioner
- 6-8 LED Lights
- 1 Television
First Floor
- 1 Deep freezer
- 3 Ceiling Fans
- 1 Iron
- 1 Washing Machine
- 2 Air Conditioners
- 3-4 LED Lights
Obviously, 3.6KW inverter cannot cover all these items. Therefore, we had to choose which items will run on solar electricity. Below are some of the main key factors that urged us to be choosy:
- Usage and on/off timings
- Electricity load
- Which items are required if main power goes off (e.g. electric water motor, fans, lights) etc.
My main concern was to use ground floor air conditioner (while there was no considerable electricity usage in the first floor at day time) on solar in the solar peak hours. To achieve this, we made several changes to the wiring (Since, we bought this new house. There was no solar wiring/connection in the main electric circuit) and successfully connected the following ground floor items to the solar inverter:
- Air conditioner
- Refrigerator
- All ceiling fans and some lights
- Water pump
- 2-3 sockets (for mobile charging or iron usage)
Time to Measure the Solar Electricity Production and Household Electric Load
Now that the installation was completed. It was time to measure the electricity production and household electric items load. By the way, I was eagerly waiting for the final installation steps throughout and to observe the production/load. Maybe because my expectations were way high.
Before reading the manual, I thought that the percentage part on display screen is basically total production of the solar electricity out of 100 (e.g. if it shows 52%, my understanding was out of 100 only 52% electricity is being consumed and I still can sell 48% of the power to the grid).
But I was wrong. I consult to the manual and found out that it was total electric load percentage (e.g. if only ceiling fans are operating the load was like 30% and if I add another electric item the load was increases to 35%)
Anyways, I started reading the inverter’s user manual, spoke to the installation guy about different solar inverter error codes. Below are the some of the very important codes that one must understand. I would like to mention few of them below for your ease:
What are the most important Solar Inverter Error Codes?
- 52 error code – BUS voltage too low
- 09 error code – Some issue with your DC circuit/main board
- 01 – Inverter fan issue (we faced this issue right after the installation and figured this out, something was preventing fan from operating)
Last summer, I got 52 error and for some reason it was neglected. Then inverter started showing 09 and stopped working at all. I had to then take it to the Fronus service center (fortunately, the inverter was in warranty) and they fixed its main board.
Please ensure that errors 52 and 09 are prioritized and never left unattended.
Conclusion – Why I Opted for Solar Panel Installation?
Above are the top 5 factors why I opted for solar panel installation. I would love to hear about your reasons for choosing solar installation, so feel free to share in the comments. After successful installation, I would recommend you to go though the user manual carefully and raise your questions and concerns with the installer. It’s very important to keep an eye on your solar inverter code readings. Moreover, make sure no error code goes unattended from your side.
This is a very first hand experience that I shared in this blog. Things I observed before, after and during solar installation. However, in these series of blogs, this is the very first article and I will be keep helping you guys regarding solar installation or issues.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How Efficient is a Solar Panel?
Solar panel efficiently or rated power mentioned on it is basically calculated for ideal conditions. As per industry experts or solar installers, the actual power output we can get from a panel is only 65-80% of the rated power (e.g. 65-80% of 370W we’ll get as shown in the image).
What to Consider when Choosing a Solar Panel Installation?
1. Household electric load
2. Power backup
3. Energy saving (how much you want to reduce your electric bill)
Why is My Inverter Beeping?
There could be multiple reasons:
1. Overload (more electric households are running as compare to rated inverter output)
2. Short circuit
3. Battery voltage dropping in case of electricity shortage
