Getting Continuous Electricity for a Home

olu bakka

Well-known member
  • Aug 18, 2011
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    Solar nathuwath puluwan lu machan.
    eka watinawa.



    Na machan, eke battery eka charge wenna kochchara UNITS yanawada kiyala dala nane.
    Ub kiyanne eke store wenwt wada units ganak charge wenna ynw ati kiyld?
     

    raman2

    Well-known member
  • Feb 16, 2009
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    off grid solar pain in the ass to maintain.. unit malfunctions, cleaning panels, battery issues
    only reasonable if you are living off grid, no good as a emergency or backup power source..
    so much risk to fail and due to technical nature most parts are not readily available to replace..
     

    Sara_LK

    Well-known member
  • Sep 11, 2015
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    No Place
    mn oya seen eka baluwa solar eka gahanna normal 10lak wat oni wenawa battery backup ekak ekka ac ekak duwanna puluwan wenna. anika dan hamoma solar solar kiyala hama ekama patta ganan walin wadi wela tynne masa 5kata kalin 20-30 tibba panel dan 45+ mppt inverter ewat ehemai, kalin pure sine 500 eka tibbe 23ta, dan 35i battery 22ta tibba eka dan 44i. itin hodama wade generator ekak ganna eka gedarata, inverter generator ekak gatta nam gana wadi unata fuel hodata wada nisa shape karaganna puluwan but fuel ganna nattam ekat iwarai
     

    NiyamaSinhalaya

    Well-known member
  • Jul 17, 2008
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    පෘථිවිය
    Guys,

    I want to have continuous electricity power to my place even when there is a power cut (short or a 8 hour one). Requirement will be to at minimum run a few fans, LED tv, Lights and computer. Been able to run the AC will be a plus.

    I have been thinking of buying a generator but with the current situation in SL (no $ no oil) and the amount of work you need to keep this shit maintained, I feel like it will not make sense. Cost might be an advantage but I thought of not giving the cost that much of priority.

    So I thought of going Solar. So I would appreciate some answers for the following;

    1. What is the cost to install solar panels to cater the above requirement?
    2. Do you have any good reliable companies that I can talk to?
    3. Any idea about the performance during clouding days?
    4. How long will it run at night (say full day of sunlight)?
    5. Share any experiences you have just to learn from it.
    Thnx in advance.
    4/5KVa system might be required.
    The inverter is main part, so for inverter, it may cost around 60-90k.
     

    rkarunathilake

    Active member
  • Apr 3, 2008
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    You did the upgrade by your self or did you hire someone
    I got my 1st grid time system a 4kw grid tied system wich cost me around 10 lacks and after 4 years i upgraded to a 5 kw grid tied withpower back up with four 100 amp batteries .had to pay another 5 lacks for that. All instalation was done by genso
     

    tharakaf

    Well-known member
  • Oct 19, 2020
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    I got my 1st grid time system a 4kw grid tied system wich cost me around 10 lacks and after 4 years i upgraded to a 5 kw grid tied withpower back up with four 100 amp batteries .had to pay another 5 lacks for that. All instalation was done by genso
    I had a chat with these guys, if you only go for Solar (Without batteries) you will only have power when there is power in the main line. i.e. during a power cut you will not have power even during day time. If you want to have power even during a power cut then you need to buy some batteries and look at a hybrid setup.
     

    mayadmax

    Well-known member
  • Apr 24, 2007
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    1. What is the cost to install solar panels to cater the above requirement? - about 6 lax to 10 only solar (2.5KVA to 5KVA) + power backup another 3 lax like
    2. Do you have any good reliable companies that I can talk to? - try talking to all of them youl be surprised
    3. Any idea about the performance during clouding days? - cloud + night you are in darkness
    4. How long will it run at night (say full day of sunlight)? - unless you have battery power backup u are in darkness
    5. Share any experiences you have just to learn from it.

    - Power generation does not happen at peak levels as they say, its always low
    - you always need to clean and keep all panels at peak levels to get max performance
    - regular servicing is a must
    - When theres no on grid power, you are again in darkness.
    - You can add another power recovery switch to convert and power up ur solar when there is no grid power (it will cost you another additional 75000 to 1 lak)
    - you have to select between net metering, net accounting or off grid
    - if you are off grid, then u have to rely on batteries
    - If you have to go for batteries + solar then you have to get hybrid inverters (thats few more lax expensive than above stated amount in '1'
    - Batteries dont last 15 yrs as they say. even your phone battery dont last that long (depends on charge cycles) if you are only relying on that after a year or two things go sideways. most off grid solutions have issues
    - more importantly if you get net metering itl take about 15,20 years for you to recover the cost from CEB (they pay 22 for 1st 10 or 15 yrs and then 15 per unit from them) - i dont think il live that long :)
    - if you are not planning to go for net metering or accounting and purely stay on batteries THiNK TWICE whether you can waste that amount of money


    Power issue will not be there for few years (hopefully) so you again have to think twice whether you are going to go through all those complexities or just get a generator
     
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    tharakaf

    Well-known member
  • Oct 19, 2020
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    1. What is the cost to install solar panels to cater the above requirement? - about 6 lax to 10 only solar (2.5KVA to 5KVA) + power backup another 3 lax like
    2. Do you have any good reliable companies that I can talk to? - try talking to all of them youl be surprised
    3. Any idea about the performance during clouding days? - cloud + night you are in darkness
    4. How long will it run at night (say full day of sunlight)? - unless you have battery power backup u are in darkness
    5. Share any experiences you have just to learn from it.

    - Power generation does not happen at peak levels as they say, its always low
    - you always need to clean and keep all panels at peak levels to get max performance
    - regular servicing is a must
    - When theres no on grid power, you are again in darkness.
    - You can add another power recovery switch to convert and power up ur solar when there is no grid power (it will cost you another additional 75000 to 1 lak)
    - you have to select between net metering, net accounting or off grid
    - if you are off grid, then u have to rely on batteries
    - If you have to go for batteries + solar then you have to get hybrid inverters (thats few more lax expensive than above stated amount in '1'
    - Batteries dont last 15 yrs as they say. even your phone battery dont last that long (depends on charge cycles) if you are only relying on that after a year or two things go sideways. most off grid solutions have issues
    - more importantly if you get net metering itl take about 15,20 years for you to recover the cost from CEB (they pay 22 for 1st 10 or 15 yrs and then 15 per unit from them) - i dont think il live that long :)
    - if you are not planning to go for net metering or accounting and purely stay on batteries THiNK TWICE whether you can waste that amount of money


    Power issue will not be there for few years (hopefully) so you again have to think twice whether you are going to go through all those complexities or just get a generator
    My problem is machan I am supposed to work for a foreign country hence powercuts (breakdowns + maintenance) aren't an option for me.

    Anyways you can get an inverter + cells for 500k with close to 10 year warranty. This will give you around 2.5KW
     

    mayadmax

    Well-known member
  • Apr 24, 2007
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    My problem is machan I am supposed to work for a foreign country hence powercuts (breakdowns + maintenance) aren't an option for me.

    Anyways you can get an inverter + cells for 500k with close to 10 year warranty. This will give you around 2.5KW

    yes you can buy n try :) assuming that ur roof is in correct angles to get the peak levels of solar panels (no modification cost ) + assuming that ur roof has required area to house 5KVA of panels + assuming that u get proper sunlight through out the year + assuming if no sunlight u can use on grid power to charge the batteries + assuming that hassle is worth for what you are doing paying CEb to charge ur batteries + assuming that you will get battery replacements every 1,2 years under warranty (with AC n all you are going to stress n get all the juice outa ur system)

    then you are headed in good way. pls proceed

    kinda same here. if you use an laptop, a new one usually last 5,6hrs + get extra battery. keep a small genset with 10,15ltrs of petrol to use in extreme cases
     

    ieannet

    Well-known member
  • Oct 15, 2006
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    yakoo meke inna unge danna boru, ganan innda untath epa karanwa ne samaha un

    solar karanna ayath 90% horu industry eka kanwa

    oke ekma aula $$ wenna case ekak na
     

    tharakaf

    Well-known member
  • Oct 19, 2020
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    yes you can buy n try :) assuming that ur roof is in correct angles to get the peak levels of solar panels (no modification cost ) + assuming that ur roof has required area to house 5KVA of panels + assuming that u get proper sunlight through out the year + assuming if no sunlight u can use on grid power to charge the batteries + assuming that hassle is worth for what you are doing paying CEb to charge ur batteries + assuming that you will get battery replacements every 1,2 years under warranty (with AC n all you are going to stress n get all the juice outa ur system)

    then you are headed in good way. pls proceed

    kinda same here. if you use an laptop, a new one usually last 5,6hrs + get extra battery. keep a small genset with 10,15ltrs of petrol to use in extreme cases
    Have you used a generator? My experience is that it is something that is messy and difficult to maintain. That is why I like something silent. I might not go for Solar and just use only batteries. Anyways my objective isn't to reduce cost but to keep the power going.
     

    mayadmax

    Well-known member
  • Apr 24, 2007
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    Have you used a generator? My experience is that it is something that is messy and difficult to maintain. That is why I like something silent. I might not go for Solar and just use only batteries. Anyways my objective isn't to reduce cost but to keep the power going.
    - without solar how u going to charge it?
    - you cant have both on grid and off grid at once
    - if so you have to build a proper off grid system to run a full power house at home
    - or else you have to charge a big ass battery from main grid and keep good luck paying electricity bill
    - you cant put off grid system and get a income for excess generation (like net metering the inverters dsnt support the function)

    i use silent small gen at one place . rarely use it. just put a change over switch and switch to it if cut is dragging for more than 3,4hrs which is a very rare thing. about 4.5 ltrs of petrol for 8-9.2 hrs at 1/4 capacity which is enough to run router, lap, few led lights, fan and single or dual monitors. (calculate ur wattage). and have a big ass generator for full apartment complex when theres no power. requires to shut around every 6hrs and let it rest a bit other than that just yearly maintenance
     

    dodangodarohan

    Well-known member
  • Aug 25, 2010
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    A lorry battery (120 amph) + an inverter should be able to use to power up a desktop computer & table fan for few hours. (You will need to recharge the battery after the power restored by CEB)
     
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