Yash
Uttar Pradesh has a huge potential in the solar residential sector.
It is the fourth-largest state by land area and it is the most populous state in India.
Facts about Uttar Pradesh
It is bounded by:
- Bihar in East
- Haryana and Delhi in West
- Himalayan Ranges in the North
- Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in North-west
- Rajasthan in South-west, and
- Madhya Pradesh in South
- Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in South-east
- Capital: Lucknow
- Coordinates: Latitude: 23°52’ N to 31°28’N and Longitude: 77°3’ East to 84°39’ East
- Land area: 2,43,286 km²
- Population is over 24 crores.
We see the Himalayan Ranges in the North, Indo-Gangetic plains in the center.
And Vindhya hills and plateau in the south.
The main industries in the state are Agriculture, Livestock, and Farming.
The majority of the population depends on farming activities.
The main crops are wheat, rice, pulses, sugar cane (the most important cash crop), and potatoes.
Peak Sun Hours in Uttar Pradesh
Its location is very good from the sunlight point of view.
It is a big state that is comprised of 75 districts and the Peak Sun Hours (PSH) vary with the change in latitude.
Therefore, I will take 5 districts located in 5 different directions of the states.
With the directions East, West, North, South, and the Centre.
- Ghaziabad is in the west with coordinates of 28.66°N and 77.45°E and PSH of 5.48
- Ballia is located in the East having coordinates of 25.83°N and 84.18°E. It receives average PSH of 5.47
- The district Jhansi is in the South with coordinates of 25.44°N and 78.56°E and the PSH value of 5.81
- Pilibhit is in the North (coordinates of 28.62°N and 79.80°E) with PSH of 5.53
- Lucknow (the capital city of the state) is in center with coordinates of 26.85°N and 80.95°E and the PSH value of 5.43
When I take the average of all the PSH values mentioned above, it is:
PSH (avg.) = (5.48 + 5.47 + 5.81 + 5.53 + 5.43)/5
= 27.72/5
= 5.544 PSH
I will take this value to evaluate the financial feasibility of the solar power system in Uttar Pradesh.
The climate of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh comes in the tropical region and hence it has a tropical climate with 3 main seasons namely:
- Summers: March to June
- Rainy season: June to September
- Winters: October to February
The eastern part of the state receives the heaviest rainfall and floods are the major problem.
The temperature in summer can rise as high as 45°C and in winters the mercury usually dips to 2°C – 3°C.
Snowfall doesn’t occur but hailstorms, frost, and dew are common in winters.
Residential electricity rates in Uttar Pradesh
The UPPCL is the state electricity company that transmits and distributes the electricity in the state.
This company has the following divisions:
- Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PUVNL) (Varanasi Zone)
- Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) (Meerut Zone)
- Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) (Lucknow Zone)
- Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) (Agra Zone)
- Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCO)
- Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA)
- Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Limited (UPPTL)
It is very important to know the electricity rates within the state.
It helps to analyze and evaluate the feasibility of solar power in comparison with the grid electricity rates.
The electricity rates for domestic users are as follows:
- 0-150 units: Rs. 5.50 per unit
- 151-300: Rs. 6/unit
- 301-500: Rs. 6.5 per unit
- Above 500: Rs. 7/unit
- Fixed charges: 110/kw/month
Units produced by the 5 kW solar power system in Uttar Pradesh
The units produced by the solar power system depends on many factors such as:
- Sunlight
- Temperature coefficient of power
- Degradation in solar panels
- Shading loss
- Manufacturer tolerance loss
- PID losses
- LID losses
- Heating loss, and other losses
After considering all the above losses, the units produced by the 5-kW system in Uttar Pradesh are 19 to 20 units per day.
The average price of solar in Uttar Pradesh
The average cost of 1 kW on-grid solar power is Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 80,000.
However, the cost of any solar power system depends on many factors such as:
- Cost of the panels
- Cost of inverter
- Racking and BOS
- Cost of installation
- Installer profit margin
- Permits and license
Cost of the solar panels
The cost of solar panels depends on their quality.
The monocrystalline solar panels are costly, very efficient, and fewer panels can meet the energy needs.
On the other hand, polycrystalline solar panels are less efficient, occupy more space but are cheaper.
The solar panel is the main component in any system and choosing the quality solar panel can provide you smooth electricity for decades.
I would advise my readers that go for a reputed and branded solar panel company.
Some of the reputed solar brands of India such as Waaree, Vikram, Adani produce efficient, durable, and strong solar panels that have long warranties.
Solar Inverter
Inverter plays an important role in running our electrical appliances.
It converts direct current from the solar panels into alternating current and runs our electrical appliances.
Therefore, the conversion efficiency and the waveform of the inverter determine its quality.
Efficiency
The efficiency of the inverter is its ability to convert direct current into alternating current.
It can be written as:
Efficiency (%) = Output current (ac)/Input current (dc)
The efficient solar inverters are costly but you get more current to run your household appliances.
We see inverters producing 2 different waveforms (i) square wave and (ii) sine wave
Your electrical appliances run smoothly and produce less heat with sine wave inverters.
Choose an efficient sinewave inverter for your solar power system.
The cost of the racking and the mounting structure depends on the quality, direction, and type of the roof.
The other costs like profit margin of the installer, permits, transportation, and miscellaneous costs add up to the total cost of the system.
Solar subsidy in Uttar Pradesh
The solar energy subsidy is the financial incentive offered by the central government and the state government on the cost of the solar power system installed by the home-owners
The solar subsidy scheme:
- For system size 1kW to 3 kW, the subsidy is 40% of the cost
- For system size above 3 kW and up to 10 kW, the subsidy offered 20% of the cost.
- Rate: 1 to 10 kW Rs. 38,000 per kilo-watt. The subsidy amount is calculated on this rate.
How to apply for solar subsidy in Uttar Pradesh
a) Go to UPNEDA solar rooftop portal
And
be ready with your documents such as:
- Passport size photo (jpg) max size: 200 kB
- Aadhaar card (pdf) max size: 200 kB
- Latest electricity bill (pdf) max size: 200 kB
- Bank pass book (pdf) max size: 200 kB
- Site photograph (jpg) max size: 200 kB
Click on the “Apply online” tab, fill in the required information in the form, and submit.
c) You will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number
d) After filling the OTP, your application will be registered and you will get an application id with a password.
e) Upload your documents by login with your id and password.
After that, you get 120 days window period to choose the pre-screened solar installer. And get the installation done, the net meter installed, get inspected by the discom/UPNEDA officer, and upload the details on the website.
How to apply for Net-meter in Uttar Pradesh
The net-metering facility allows the homeowner to feed the extra-solar electricity generated to the grid.
The extra units are deducted from your consumed units and you are billed for the remaining units.
fed to the grid and you are billed by deducting extra units fed from your consumed units.
For example, your solar power system produced a total of 600 units in a month.
And
you consumed a total of 900 units from the grid and 200 solar units from solar in 1 month.
Extra solar units produced = 600 – 200 units = 400 units
These extra 400 solar units will be fed to the grid and you will be billed on net consumed units (500 units).
Net consumed units = 900 – 400 solar units = 500 units
And your electricity bill is reduced.
The Process
- The eligible consumer who is interested in solar power system and want go avail the benefit of net-metering shall submit the application to the distribution company with the relevant documents and the fees.
- The Distribution company will do the feasibility analysis of connecting solar pv system to the grid through net-metering within 30 days from the date of receipt. If there are any deficiencies or defects, the applicant will be informed to remove or rectify those defects.
- After removal of defects (if any), the discom will approve the application within 10 days from the date of receipt.
- After approval by discom, the consumer applies for the registration along with the registration fees.
- The discom assigns a registration number (if no deficiencies are found) and issues it to the applicant.
- Thereafter, the applicant must execute inter-connection agreement and submit it to the discom within 30 days from the date of receipt.
- Application fee Rs. 250 up to 50 kW and the registration fee Rs. 1,000 up to 50 kW.
Are solar panels worth in UP
Yes, the solar power system is very much profitable in Uttar Pradesh with the following parameters:
- 5-kW system produces 19-20 units per day
- Payback: 4-5 years
- Cost of Solar electricity: Rs. 0.7/unit to Rs. 0.9/unit
- Net savings in 25 years: Rs. 10,96,000/-
Factors affecting solar payback in Uttar Pradesh
There is a number of factors that determine the payback period of the solar power system in Uttar Pradesh.
And these are:
Sunlight
Sunlight is the first parameter that decides the feasibility of the solar power system. Good sunlight means you need fewer panels (less cost) to meet your energy needs.
While less sunlight, you need more panels to fulfill the same energy requirements and you need to shell out more money for that, affecting the financial feasibility of the system.
Cost of the system
The high cost of the system reduces the return from the solar power system. While low cost improves the profitability of the system.
Maintenance
High maintenance costs affect the return provided by the solar power system. The battery in the system adds to the maintenance cost.
Losses
There is a number of losses in the system such as heat losses, conversion losses, and transmission that affect the financial feasibility.
Therefore, one should choose quality products and components for sizing the complete solar power system.
More losses mean less output, affecting the return from the solar power system.
Electricity rates
The high electricity rates improve the feasibility of the solar power system.
Because a place with high grid rates means you are going to save more when you switch to solar.
Rebates and Incentives
Good incentives and rebates improve the return provided by the system.
Best solar panels for Uttar Pradesh climate
The state lies in the tropical region where the mercury soars to 45°C, making solar cells work at 70°C to 80°C.
In addition, the Indo-Gangetic region is more humid than other parts of the state.
The main activities in the state are agriculture, farming, and livestock.
Features of solar panels for UP
- Perform well in high temperature. Look for solar panels with lower temperature coefficient of power
- More resistant to humid climate. Look for solar panels with IEC-61701
- PID resistant (IEC-62804): Potential Induced degradation is the power loss in the solar panels. It results in leakage currents from the solar cell to the other parts of the panels such as frame and the mounting structure and you get less useful current. This degradation gets accelerated in high temperature and humidity.
- Ammonia resistant (ammonia is a corrosive gas that is found in places where farm animals are kept and this is common in rural areas). Look for panels with IEC-62716 certifications.
- In addition, choose panels that are efficient, strong, and have long warranties.
Advantages of solar in UP
a) Good sunlight is the first requirement for any solar power system to be technically viable and financially feasible.
Most parts of Uttar Pradesh receive a good amount of sunlight throughout the year with an average PSH of 5.544 that we calculated above.
b) Uttar Pradesh government and the center offers subsidy on solar power systems, making it more attractive financially.
c) The grid Price and escalation are making switching to solar more attractive.
The average domestic grid prices in Uttar Pradesh are Rs.6 to Rs.7 per unit an escalation of 5%.
It means that you would pay Rs. 20 to Rs. 24 on the 25th for the same unit you consumed today.
Looking at this, it makes sense to switch to solar.
Disadvatages of solar in Uttar Pradesh
High temperature in summers increases the cell temperature by another 30°C to 40°C.
(The solar cells might be performing at 70°C to 80°C when the ambient temperature is 45°C).
This increases the cell resistance and you get less current to run your electrical appliances.
The humidity during the rainy season blocks the sunlight from reaching the panel surface and corrodes its material, reducing its useful life.
Although the above disadvantages can be handled by purchasing solar panels with a low-temperature coefficient of power that is humidity resistant.
Key takeaways
- Uttar Pradesh is solar rich state that has huge potential for solar power.
- It lies in the tropical region and has three seasons Summer, Rainy season and Winters
- The central subsidy is 40% of the cost for system size 1kW to 3kW and 20% for system size above 3 kW and up to 10 kW system.
- The subsidy is calculated on rate of Rs. 32,000 per kW, up to 10 kW
- Look solar panels that have low temperature coefficient of power
- The solar panels with IEC-61701 are suitable for people living in humid climate
- The ammonia resistant solar panels are more effective in rural areas and places where livestock are kept.
Are solar panels worth in UP?
Yes, the solar power system is technically viable and financially attractive in Uttar Pradesh that has a fast payback.
I have considered all the relevant factors while evaluating the financial feasibility of the system.
Despite this, a deviation of 10 to 15% on either side is possible while finding the financial feasibility of the system.
It is better to consult the nearest (experienced and trusted) solar installer in your area.
He is the best person to guide you about the system size and its feasibility based on your energy needs.
Or
You can try my solar feasibility spreadsheet that designs the complete solar power system and finds the financial feasibility.
I hope this post gives you the reason for going solar.
