A homeowner reached out to us looking for a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) solution, for his residence in Bangalore. The homeowner shared the following inputs before we got down to designing the system,
·Solar to be the primary source of power
·Looking for independence from frequent grid outages
·Aesthetically good looking structures
·Structures to be raised so that roof can be accessed freely
A 3 kW battery-based system was proposed with ~6 hrs of back-up to power loads such as lights, fans, televisions, music systems, mixers, refrigerators, computers, water purifiers, washing machines,s, etc. The modules have been mounted on customized raised structures made
of galvanized steel. The structures are non-penetrating, causing no damage to the rooftop, and are designed to withstand high wind speeds. The structures have been raised ~7 feet from the lower edge of the module allowing for the roof to be used for other purposes.
The system consists of 12 250 Wp polycrystalline solar modules of 14.9 % efficiency, a 4 KVA intelligent off-grid inverter that Is capable of handling high overload capacities, eight number of solar tubular lead acid batteries along with a battery rack. The inverter has been programmed to give solar priority over the grid to charge the batteries and feed the loads. The system has been provided with protection devices such as fuses, MCBs, AC and DC SPDs for the smooth running of the system.