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India's quest to build the worlds largest solar farms

17 points by koolhead17 3y ago

2Gkashmiri 3y ago
solar is subsidized in india for households and is probably the cheapest in the world. 5Kwh ongrid system- with panels + on grid inverter + cabling + installation+ reverse meter + certification + support costs INR 110K or US $ 1294. This is the amount a house has to pay to get everything ready. You pay a "bank draft" in the name of the department responsible and documents, identity proof and electricity bill and they assign a random dealer out of pool of resellers who does the job. You don't pay the reseller anything, they are paid by the department at their own schedule. The upside to this is, when we did it a few years ago, it took 14 days from document submission to our plant generating electricity. EDIT: we were unhappy with on-grid system which meant during the day if grid went out, we couldnt use the solar energy so we replaced our inverter with a off-grid inverter without batteries. Now, we can use the power without sending to grid if grid is disconnected. no batteries so lesser cost. The inverter did cost us around US $ 1000 but it was worth the extra cash
- unmole 3y ago
  A gel battery is practically maintainance free and costs about 17000 INR. Might be worth looking into.
  - 2Gkashmiri 3y ago
    Ugh, what's the kWh/₹ for that? 17k for how much battery? I'd need a minimum of 5kwh. Lead acid costs around ₹20,000/100ah 12v or ₹ ₹100h for 200ah, 48v Roughly the same price for a lithium ion battery pack, ₹120k-₹150k for 100ah48v. Lead acid gives me "warranty" of 5 years while lithium ion is sold by noname brands whose warranty is questionable. Gel battery has to be cheaper and longer warranty than both and I doubt that
    - unmole 3y ago
      > 17k for how much battery? 150Ah/12V > I'd need a minimum of 5kwh. I thought you currently had 0. I'm not sure why you'd need to jump straight to 5 kWh. > Lead acid costs around ₹20,000/100ah Luminous lead acid batteries cost around 13k for 150Ah/12V. The warranty notwithstanding, lead acid batteries need periodic maintainance.
- kylehotchkiss 3y ago
  That’s impressive - I spent some time staying in india and found another technical choice helped with the power outages - fiber internet. Put the router on a UPS and you’d effectively never go offline. Plus 1gbps was like $15-20/month.
  - 2Gkashmiri 3y ago
    Yeah. You don't really need gigabit internet. I have a 2 connection setup for remoting into. Have around a dozen employees who do the same. 50mbos on one side and 30 on other. It works as if the connection is local so for me, 1gbps is overkill.
akmittal 3y ago
Crude oil is biggest reason of India's fiscal deficit. Investing a lot in Hydrogen and Solar
ZeroGravitas 3y ago
Solar has gotten so cheap that to write a "balanced" article you need to complain that it's not solved caste-based discrimination and sexism.
idontwantthis 3y ago
Does anyone know if they are looking into raised solar panels that can be farmed under? I know India is already building panels over canals. Seems like you can have solar in harmony with the local community if you try just a bit.
- rramadass 3y ago
  The article mentions it (and contains links to some studies); A recent study found that some crops grown under solar panels, in so-called agrivoltaic systems, help to keep the units cooler, extending their lifespans and improving efficiency. Certain plants grow better in the shade, especially as temperatures rise. If less than one per cent of cropland around the world was shared with solar panels, global energy needs would be met, according to one estimate. Agrivoltaics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrivoltaics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrivoltaics) are definitely on the rise but see the "Disadvantages" and "Economics" sections for roadblocks.
known 3y ago
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17 points by koolhead17 3y ago

solar is subsidized in india for households and is probably the cheapest in the world. 5Kwh ongrid system- with panels + on grid inverter + cabling + installation+ reverse meter + certification + support costs INR 110K or US $ 1294. This is the amount a house has to pay to get everything ready. You pay a "bank draft" in the name of the department responsible and documents, identity proof and electricity bill and they assign a random dealer out of pool of resellers who does the job. You don't pay the reseller anything, they are paid by the department at their own schedule. The upside to this is, when we did it a few years ago, it took 14 days from document submission to our plant generating electricity. EDIT: we were unhappy with on-grid system which meant during the day if grid went out, we couldnt use the solar energy so we replaced our inverter with a off-grid inverter without batteries. Now, we can use the power without sending to grid if grid is disconnected. no batteries so lesser cost. The inverter did cost us around US $ 1000 but it was worth the extra cash

unmole 3y ago
A gel battery is practically maintainance free and costs about 17000 INR. Might be worth looking into.
- 2Gkashmiri 3y ago
  Ugh, what's the kWh/₹ for that? 17k for how much battery? I'd need a minimum of 5kwh. Lead acid costs around ₹20,000/100ah 12v or ₹ ₹100h for 200ah, 48v Roughly the same price for a lithium ion battery pack, ₹120k-₹150k for 100ah48v. Lead acid gives me "warranty" of 5 years while lithium ion is sold by noname brands whose warranty is questionable. Gel battery has to be cheaper and longer warranty than both and I doubt that
  - unmole 3y ago
    > 17k for how much battery? 150Ah/12V > I'd need a minimum of 5kwh. I thought you currently had 0. I'm not sure why you'd need to jump straight to 5 kWh. > Lead acid costs around ₹20,000/100ah Luminous lead acid batteries cost around 13k for 150Ah/12V. The warranty notwithstanding, lead acid batteries need periodic maintainance.
kylehotchkiss 3y ago
That’s impressive - I spent some time staying in india and found another technical choice helped with the power outages - fiber internet. Put the router on a UPS and you’d effectively never go offline. Plus 1gbps was like $15-20/month.
- 2Gkashmiri 3y ago
  Yeah. You don't really need gigabit internet. I have a 2 connection setup for remoting into. Have around a dozen employees who do the same. 50mbos on one side and 30 on other. It works as if the connection is local so for me, 1gbps is overkill.

akmittal 3y ago

Crude oil is biggest reason of India's fiscal deficit. Investing a lot in Hydrogen and Solar

ZeroGravitas 3y ago

Solar has gotten so cheap that to write a "balanced" article you need to complain that it's not solved caste-based discrimination and sexism.

idontwantthis 3y ago

Does anyone know if they are looking into raised solar panels that can be farmed under? I know India is already building panels over canals. Seems like you can have solar in harmony with the local community if you try just a bit.

rramadass 3y ago
The article mentions it (and contains links to some studies); A recent study found that some crops grown under solar panels, in so-called agrivoltaic systems, help to keep the units cooler, extending their lifespans and improving efficiency. Certain plants grow better in the shade, especially as temperatures rise. If less than one per cent of cropland around the world was shared with solar panels, global energy needs would be met, according to one estimate. Agrivoltaics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrivoltaics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrivoltaics) are definitely on the rise but see the "Disadvantages" and "Economics" sections for roadblocks.

known 3y ago

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