Archive for Category Solar Power System Design

1. Solar Market - Vanadium Flow Batteries

Solar Power Costs have surely come down over the past few years-but has a bottle neck- The storage issue- i.e. the cost of batteries. Photo Voltaic Energy is intermittent, and needs to be stored. Bringing down the installed cost of solar power systems is half the challenge. Headway needs to be made in bringing down the cost of batteries for energy storage and other technologies that make solar (and wind, for that matter) cost effective and reliable.

Flow batteries refer to the charge generated as two fluids flow adjacently.. They have a longer life ( no of cycles) and do not degrade over time as do lithium-ion batteries, for example. The said factors make flow batteries ideal storage devices. They can sit idle for long periods without losing their charge, and they can be revved up to speed almost instantly when called into action. Another key advantage is scalability, merely by enlarging the size of the storage tanks for the fluids.

Vanadium has emerged as a preferred base for flow batteries, because instead of two different substance a vanadium flow battery relies only on one: vanadium. That eliminates the cross-contamination issues that typically complicate flow battery design.

2. Garnet Ceramics for Lithium Batteries

Garnet Ceramics may be the future for lithium batteries (high-energy ). Scientists have found some exceptional properties in garnet, which could enable development of higher-energy battery designs. Researchers seek to improve a battery energy density by using a pure lithium anode (this metal offers the highest known theoretical capacity) in an aqueous electrolyte with the ability to speedily transport lithium.

Scientists tend to believe that this would be an ideal separator material. Many new generation batteries use these two features [lithium anode in aqueous electrolyte], but integrating both into a single battery, poses a problem, because the water is very reactive with lithium metal. The reaction is very violent, which is why you need a protective layer around the lithium. Battery designers can either use a solid electrolyte separator to shield the lithium, but options are limited. LAPT or LISICON, which are often used as separators of choice, tend to break down under normal battery operating conditions. Researchers have endlessly searched for a suitable solid electrolyte separator material for years. The requirements for this separator material are very strict. It has to be compatible with the lithium anode, due to its (lithiums) reactivity, as well as be stable over a wide pH range. Lithium batteries are known to have an alkaline environment. The researchers used a technique called atomic resolution imaging to monitor structural changes in LLZO when immersed in a range of aqueous solutions. It was observed that the compound remained structurally stable over long periods in a wide range of pH (across neutral and extremely alkaline environments). In lithium-air batteries, researchers have tried to avoid the degradation of the separator by diluting the aqueous solutions, thereby rendering the batteries heavier and bulkier.

3. Roof Top Solar Power

We will be briefly providing details of some configurations that could be considered for roof top installations in Rural U.P, where power is acutely scarce. Before we describe the various possible configurations, it would be pertinent to mention that judicious utilization of power goes a long way in saving costs and power units. For example, LED Lights consume only a fraction of energy as compared to the conventional lights/bulbs. Likewise, it would be prudent to chose your electrical devices that are energy efficient. Check their rating. One of the biggest power sump in any household is an Air Conditioner. So if you plan to run an AC on solar, it would be in your interest to go in for 5 star AC models. You could also consider hybrid AC models (which can run on DC)

For purpose of calculation, we will take the loads as follows -

  • Light/LED- 10w
  • Bulbs- 40w
  • Fan- 25-30w
  • Refrigerator- may use about 75w, but does not run continuously
  • TV- 60-100w
  • Laptop 15-25 w
  • 1 Ton AC (conventional)- 2000w
  • 1 Ton AC ( 5 Star or Hybrid)- 1000w
  • 1 KW Panels and I KVA Inverter, with 2 Batteries of 150AH- This STAND ALONE OR HYBRID configuration is for a very small household, wishing to run 3 fans, 3 LED lights and one small refrigerator etc. (**Calculated on intermittent running ( need based use) on a period of full day and night - 24 hours).
  • 1.5 KW Panels and 2 KVA Inverter, with 4 Batteries of 150AH- This STAND ALONE OR HYBRID configuration is for a medium size household, wishing to run 6-10 fans, 3-8 LED lights and one small refrigerator, a few hours of lap-top usage etc- (**Calculated on intermittent running ( need based use) on a period of full day and night - 24 hours).
  • 3 KW Panels, 3 KVA Inverter with 4 Batteries- For relatively bigger households

Our Inverters Specifications

  • DSP based control and MPPT Solar Charging
  • Pure Sine wave output and has less transfer time.(suitable for computer applications)
  • Inbuilt DC priority feature. When solar is present battery will not take any current from AC Mains
  • High efficiency & longer back up time
  • Withstanding surge of double the rating or more
  • Intelligent charging ensuring more battery life
  • Noiseless operation of fans, lamps and appliances
  • Overload Protection & auto recovery
  • Short Circuit Protection
  • Over temperature sensing
  • No load sleep: If the load is less than 10W the Inverter will go to automatic sleep and save power
  • Liquid crystal display for status monitoring
  • Battery Charging through both solar and Grid
  • Inbuilt solar priority system
  • High reliability
  • Intelligent solar Charger
  • Overload Protection
  • Short circuit protection
  • Auto Restart
  • High efficiency - green inverter
  • Generator Compatibility