The latest price of 10-kW solar in India

The price of a 10-kW solar power system in India is between Rs. 4,80,00 to Rs. 7,40,000.

This is a wide price gap.

Well, there are many factors that are responsible for this price gap.

We’ll discuss this in this post.

In addition,

Who should buy a 10-kW solar power system?

How many units a 10-kW solar power system produces in India?

What can we run with 10-kW solar?

And many more such questions are answered in this post.

So let us start it.

Units produced by a 10-kW solar power system

Our country India is a sunshine country with an average Peak Sun Hours (PSH) are over 5.

That makes it an attractive solar destination with great financial feasibility.

A 1-kW solar power system in India produces 4-5 units.

Therefore, a 10-kW solar power system in India generates 40-50 units in a day.

The sun remains in the sky for an average of 8 hours a day (24 hours).

In summers, it is 12+ hours while in winters 8 to 9 hours.

I’m taking the conservative side.

This will help us in making the system more effective.

Therefore, in 1 hour a 10-kW solar power system will produce, 40/8 to 50/8

= 5 to 6 units every hour for 8 hours.

In simple words, we have 5-6 units per hour from a 10-kW solar power system to run our electrical appliances.

What you can run with 10-kW solar?

Taking the average of 5-6 units per hour,

A 10-kW solar power system producing an average of 5-6 units per hour can run:

• 2 x 1.5-ton ac
• 1 hp submersible pump
• 1 fridge
• 5 fans
• LEDs

In the morning and the evenings, the actual production may be less than the average production.

Therefore, we need to reduce the above-mentioned load

Whereas, during noon, the actual production is more than the average production.

Therefore, you and increase the average load by 40%.

Price of 10-kW solar power system

S.No	Particulars	Price
1.	Solar Panels	Rs. 2,20,000 to Rs. 3,20,000
2.	Inverter PCU	Rs. 1,30,000
3.	Batteries	Rs. 1,60,000
4.	Panel stands	Rs. 50,000
5.	Wires & MC4 connectors	Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000
6.	ACDB & DCDB boxes	Rs. 10,000
7.	Earthing + LA kit	Rs. 20,000
8.	Installation cost	Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000

(1) Price of solar panels

Solar panels are an important part of any solar power system.

They act as an interface and convert sunlight into direct current.

Therefore, they should be efficient and durable.

We see different types of solar panels with different technologies.

These are Polycrystalline, Monocrystalline, Mono-PERC (half-cut) solar cell technology, and Bi-facial solar panels.

• Polycrystalline solar panels come at the price of Rs. 22 to Rs. 23 per watt.
• Monocrystalline: Rs. 27 per watt to Rs. 28 per watt
• Mono-PERC (half-cut) solar panels: Rs. 32/watt – Rs. 33/watt
• Bi-facial solar panels: Rs 38 per watt – Rs 40 per watt.

Bi-facial solar panels produce current from both sides.

The utility of bi-facial solar panels increases when the system size is big > 10-kW

Or

You are looking for solar panels for commercial applications in a limited space.

We are discussing 10-kW.

Therefore, we will restrict our point of discussion up to the price of Mono-PERC solar cell technology solar panels.

The 10-kW solar panels come in the range of Rs. 2,20,000 to Rs.3,20,000.
(a) Polycrystalline: Rs. 22-23 per watt
(b) Monocrystalline: Rs. 27-28 per watt
(c) Mono-PERC (half-cut): Rs. 32-33 per watt

(2) Price of Inverter

Solar panels produce direct current.

But most of our electrical appliances run on alternating currents.

The inverter plays the role of converting the DC into AC and running our electrical appliances.

A 10 kVA inverter for a 10-kW solar power system comes in the range of Rs. 1,30,000/-

It is a smart inverter that has in-built MPPT charge controller technology.

This technology tracks and captures the maximum power from the solar panels and gives it to the batteries for charging.

Assuming, I am using a (17 volts and 8.24 amperes) 140 watts solar panel for charging a 12 volts battery.

The solar panel needs to come down to 14 volts to start charging the battery.

The remaining voltage (17-14) 3 volts from the solar panels gets wasted.

The MPPT charge controller works differently.

It brings the higher voltage from the solar panels to the level which is optimum for charging the batteries and covert the excess voltage from the solar panel into the equivalent current so that the power remains the same.

Let us understand this mathematically:

Input power = output (assuming no losses)

17 volts x 8.24 = 14 volts x 10 ampers

You can see although the voltage is dropped to 14 volts, the current rises to 10 amperes.

Therefore, the product of voltage and current remains the same in both cases.

In this way, the power is not lost and the batteries get charged in less time.

This in-built technology based solar inverter for 10-kW system comes at a price of Rs. 13,30,000/-.

(3) Battery Price

A 10-kW solar power system has 10 batteries attached to it.

With each battery specifications of 12volts/150 Ah.

One battery gives 1800 W-hr (12 volts x 150 Ah) of energy to run your electrical appliances.

Similarly, 10 batteries will produce 1800 W-hr x 10 = 18000 W-hr of energy for the electrical appliances.

But we should not extract all the energy from the batteries.

It will have a negative impact on the useful life of the batteries.

The manufacturers specify the percentage of the total current that one can withdraw without affecting the battery’s useful life.

And this is called the Depth of discharge (DOD) of the battery.

(AdityaGreens is now Solar with Yash)

Assuming the DOD in our case is 80%.

It means that I can withdraw 80% of the total capacity of the battery.

Therefore, taking 80% of 18000 W-hr = 14,400 W-hr

This much energy is available for me to run my electrical appliances.

Remember, we took 8 hours in a day as the sun in the sky.

It means the remaining 16 (24-8) hours there is no sun.

And the batteries will provide the energy.

That means I have a total of 14,400 W-hr energy for 16 hours.

In order to keep energy till the morning when the sun rises in the sky.

I must not use more than 14,400/16 = 900 W-hr or 0.9 units or approx. 1 unit per hour for my electrical appliances.

In this 1 unit either I can run:

10 x100 watts ceiling fans

Or

5 x 100 watts fans, 1 x 400 watts fridge, and LED’s

Or

Any other combination of the electrical appliances whose load totals 1 kW.

1 x 12volts/150 A-hr battery comes in the range of Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 16,000/-
Therefore, 10 batteries of same configuration come at Rs. 1,60,000/-

(4) Price of solar stands

These are GI stands on which solar panels are fixed by giving the correct tilt to the ground.

The relative position of the earth and the sun keep changing from sun sunrise to sunset, giving variation in the sunlight.

In summers, the sun is high in the sky, therefore the tilt with the ground is less.

Whereas in winters the sun is low in the sky making you give higher tilt with the ground.

Also, the places near the equator have less tilt with the ground than the places far away from the equator.

We are discussing the fixed-tilt here in this post.

The fixed-tilt is somewhere in between the tilt in summers and the tilt in winters.

One stand costs you between Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000/-

Assuming, 30 panels of 350 watts each, we need 30 such stands.

They will cost 30 x Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 = Rs. 45,000 to Rs. 60,000

Taking an average rounding cost of Rs. 50,000/-.

"A 10-kW solar panels need Rs. 50,000 of solar panels stands"

(5) Cost of wires and MC4 connectors

The wires (AC & DC) are needed to connect the solar panels to each other, the inverter, the batteries, and the electrical appliances.

The MC4 connector does play an important role in saving energy.

By using MC4 connectors, we can provide the smooth flow of current from solar panels to our appliances.

The total cost of wires and MC4 connectors for 10-kW solar power system comes to Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000/-

(6) Price of ACDB and DCDB boxes

ACDB and DCDB boxes are the power distributors.

ACDB box is connected between the inverter and your electrical appliances.

While the DCDB box is connected between the solar panels and the inverter of the battery.

These boxes also act as safety boxes.

Protecting our equipment and electrical appliances from surge voltage and high current.

The cost of ACDB and DCDB boxes are Rs. 10,000/- for 10-kW solar power system

(7) Price of Earthing

Earthing takes away the excess current from the system into the ground.

Thus, saving them damage and also avoiding casualty in case anyone touches the equipment.

The earthing kit has:

• 1x lightning arrestor
• 1 x copper rod
• Nut bolts and chemical

The lightning arrestor captures the lightning and passes it to the ground.

It is installed above the installed height of the solar panels.

The copper rod is inserted into the pit filled with the chemical.

The chemical is used to reduce the resistivity of the soil.

So that the extra current passes to the ground with ease and fast.

We need 3 earthing kits for a 10 kW solar power system.

a) One earthing kit costs you Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 7,000/-
b) Therefore, 3 earthing kits cost you Rs. 18,000 to Rs. 21,000/-
c) Rounding it to Rs. 20,000/-

(8) Installation price for 10-kW solar

An experienced installation team installs the system properly.

• They understand your energy requirements.
• You get the correct system size and design to match your energy needs.
• They do the connections in the right way and minimize the energy losses
• They give proper tilt to the solar panels. So that you get maximum current to run the electrical appliances.

Giving you the experience of lifetime smooth electricity.

The average installation rate is Rs. 3 to Rs. 4/watt.
Making a total of Rs.30,000 to Rs.40,000 for 10-kW solar power system.

Price of 10-kW On-Grid vs. Off-Grid solar

An On-Grid solar system is connected to the grid. In the daytime, solar panels absorb sunlight and run our electrical appliances. At night, the grid provides current to the appliances.

While an Off-Grid system is a standalone system that is not connected to the grid.

At night, the batteries provide the electrical energy to run the appliances.

Payback period of 10-kW solar

• Off-Grid: 7-8 years
• On-Grid: 5-6 years

Key Takeaways

• India is a sunshine country. Making solar power systems an attractive investment
• A 10-kW solar power system generates 40-50 units in a day.
• Taking average sun time in the sky as 8 hours, a 10-kW solar power system produces 5-6 units per hour.
• Go for polycrystalline solar panels when you have shade-free space. Poly- are affordable.
• Mono-PERC (half-cut) solar panels are preferred when we want a highly efficient solution in a limited space.
• Bi-facial solar panels’ utility increase when system size > 10-kW
• A right tilt is important for solar panels to work effectively and produce more current.
• Look for branded solar panels with positive feedback from other customers around.
• Look for installers near your location. You’ll get prompt and fast service.
• The battery backup can be increased, depending on your energy needs.
• An On-grid system pays back in 5-6 years while an off-grid system recovers the cost in 7-8 years.