My name is Pradeep Kumar Gupta.
I am a mechanical engineer by profession.
In 1983, I started a company
called Nutan Engineers Pvt. Ltd. We started out
with very limited resources.
We started out by installing LPG Cylinder
Manifold Systems.
And gradually
kept diversifying
towards industry utility systems.
There is a plant in Goa
by the name of SESA Goa. They are making
steel from the iron ore.
The blast furnace there
emitted so much heat that the
surrounding climate turned hot. The air appeared completely red.
The company thought of
utilizing the waste heat.
So they initiated a project
to convert it into a waste heat recovery Power Plant.
All the heat emitted from the blast furnace
would now be diverted to a steam turbine
to generate power. Approximately 30 megawatt
of heat could be recovered via this Power Plant.
After successful installation
of that Plant,
SESA Goa
would only have to utilize 7.5 to 8 megawatt
of power in their plant. The remaining power, approximately 22 megawatt
would be returned,
which added to their profits. So my team was at the helm of that major project.
Now, we thought of going towards Green
to save the environment from getting polluted.
We thought of going into the green side.
So keeping that in mind,
we thought of
installing solar power plants.
I'll provide you with a demonstration of the same.
As they say 'Charity begins at home',
so the first such plant I set up was at my own home.
We used it first hand,
studied its pros and cons, and then
when we were satisfied, we decided to launch it commercially.
I have set up a 3 Kilowatt
solar system at my residence.
Before switching to solar, my average
monthly bill was Rs.3,000. After switching
to solar, I started saving two-thirds of that amount
and my bill was now between Rs.900 and Rs.1,000.
I started saving between Rs.2,000 and Rs.2,200
every month. The total cost
of installation was approximately
two lakh five thousand rupees.
The figure might vary depending
on the height and other factors.
The period of return of investment -
considering the fact that I started
saving around two-third of my bill -
would fall somewhere between six to eight years.
If we install similar systems for
industrial applications - wherein
the unit rate is enormous, plus
the depreciation is also applicable -
the recovery period would fall somewhere
between only two to three years.
At my home, I have two air conditioners,
and other normal appliances, such as
fridge, television, mixer, toaster, etc.
Using them regularly costs me only Rs.3,000 during peak season.
If your household demands running of more appliances,
you can consider a 5 kilowatt system (over 3 kW).
In fact, the economy of scale would improve as you increase the wattage.
We are at the site of the
3 kilowatt solar power plant.
So let's directly go upstairs and
have a look at the plant and its details.
As you can see, we are already on the roof of the house.
Mr. Gupta has installed a 3.2 kilowatt system.
There are five panels above and five below. The wattage
of a single panel is 320 watts. So the total wattage
amounts to 3,200 watts or 3.2 kilowatt.
The entire array
is connected to an inverter.
If you look behind, that's the inverter
with the DC-DB at the top, and AC-DB below it.
The whole 3.2 kilowatt system has been connected to
the AC-DB. The AC-DB is subsequently connected to the
inverter, while the power terminates downstairs.
Now let us have a look at the process in detail.
These two pipes are known as 'conduit'.
One conduit runs through the five panels at the top, while the other runs through the five panels below.
The combination connects to the inverter.
Other important components that we have used, include
a 'Lightning Arrester'. If you look
behind the panels, you can clearly see it.
Whenever there is thunder, lightning
or any surge, the lightning arrester
sucks the current and sends it to ground.
For the safety of this plant, three earthings have been provided.
One for the panel and DC-DB,
second is for the lighting arrester,
while the third is for the inverter and AC-DB.
This helps us safeguard our home, whenever there is an
electrical surge. This is done through a SPD, or
'Surge Protection Device'.
Now, let's look at the panel's mounting.
A GI (Galvanised Iron) structure has been used to lift the
panel. The typical lifespan of such a structure is between 20 to 25 years.
This means that for this period, the structure won't get corroded.
The nature of the material is very important in the solar
industry - it should be as corrosion-free as possible.
This entire structure is made from galvanised iron
and a strong foundation has been laid to support it.
Here is the earthing pipe, which travels
via this conduit, right through to the inverter.
The conduit supports the earthing
as well as the DC wire.
The earthing wire is used for AC-DB, DC-DB and inverter,
while the DC wire is used for termination
at the inverter. If you look closely,
this conduit consists of the DC wire
which travels right through
to this DC-DB (DC-Distribution Box).
The most important
advantage of this particular DC-DB is that it has two
separate SPD's (Surge Protection Devices).
Most technicians just install a single SPD,
while here we have installed a double SPD, so that even
if one string is faulty, one will always be on, and hence
the system won't collapse.
Both SPD's have been connected
to terminate at this inverter. The supply travels via this
conduit pipe through to this
AC-DB (AC-Distribution Box).
This is the final part of this system here,
we will now take you downstairs to see where the
power terminates. All these three devices play an integral role in a solar-powered system.
So let's go downstairs to the point of termination.
So as you saw upstairs, the power supply travels via the
AC-DB to the rest of the house. Here we can see a few
meters, and a MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker).
Let's have a look at how the power has been distributed.
The supply from the AC Distribution box
is connected to this MCB, so that
it can be switched off
when needed.
Now let me show you the point of power termination.
The power has been terminated at this meter.
This is that meter,
and this is the main MCB.
 
 
This black wire travels down from the plant upstairs. The
positive part from the inverter is connected to this MCB.
As you can see the readings on this meter, the current is
between 8.25 and 8.33 Amperes. The power can be
easily calculated by multiplying this current with 220 or
230 (mains electricity voltage of this house).
The final figure would be somewhere around 1.8, 1.9 or
2.0 kilowatt (The total power supply).
So you can witness a real-time display
as we have two meters here. One which helps us
measure the power supply from solar, while the other
measures the outgoing power from the mains. This sum goes to the load.
So, I'd like to thank all of you.
Thanks a lot for watching this video.
My name is Vivek Gupta, from UNIFY Solar.
