How much is required to invest a home solar power system at present ?
There are many questions that investor would like to know before investing to install a home solar power system. For example, (1), What condition is required for rooftop when installing a home solar power system ? (2), Is it safe for rooftop distributed home solar power system ? (3), How much money is required to invest a home solar power system ? (4), does it make me loss money to invest this system ?
Now let us to talk about these questions.
1. What is components for home solar power system ?
A set of home solar power system consists of solar modules, mounting system, inverter and electric power distribution, etc. It need about 3 days to complete its installation and debugging (accurate installation time depends on actual project situation), don’t need make any change for the original circuits of home, the solar system can operate around 25 years.
2. What condition is required to install a home solar power system ?
Just need your home rooftop has some area which is no shadowed. Flat, slop and outer wall are available. It would not destroy any waterproof structure of rooftop.
3. Is it safe for rooftop distributed home solar pv system ?
So far, distributed solar power system has been developing many years, the market experience has been sophisticated. The design and technique are very safe and reasonable, don’t need change home structure, the installation scheme can be designed according to different circumstance of buildings. There are not just common concrete rooftop, encaustic tile rooftop of villa, or painted steel tile roof of factories, all of them can be exploited to install distributed solar pv system. In China, government provides greatly support to develop distributed solar power system on the rooftop of buildings, having published all kinds of support documents, don’t have risk for illegal construction. State grid company also gives encouragement and support on the aspect of checking and acceptance, the grid-tie can be applied to State Grid Company only if completing to install distributed solar pv system, don’t have limitation from generating target.
4. How much does it cost for a home solar power system ?
According to installed power, basically, the installation cost is about US$1600 per KWh at present, usually, the installed power of villa distributed solar pv system is about 5KW~8KW, the cost of entire investment is about US$10000 ~ US$16000. Usually, the installed power of rural home solar pv system is about 3KW~5KW, the cost of entire investment is about US$5000~US$8000. ( The actual cost need be according to specific projects and Countries).
5. Dose it make me loss money because of high initial investment ?
The economy of solar pv system is not just to save electric cost, it also has government’s subsidy, some area also can get subsidy from local government. According to the mode that power generation for home appliances consumption and surplus for grid-tie, the total revenue of pv system equals to saving electric cost + surplus power for selling + state government’s subsidy + local government’s subsidy. it just need 5~8 years to return the investment in most of districts in China, it brings the stable income for 25 years, the yield rate of distributed solar pv system is very considerable. Regards to the cost of premium solar generation system, the main materials take 70% of whole cost, installation cost takes 10%, the rest cost is to maintain system normally. In terms of rural resident, government has published Loan service, meanwhile, there is also poverty relief policy for pv system, in future, each resident can be affordable to install a home solar power system in China.
6. How long is the lifespan, is it trouble for maintenance in future ? does it cause me to loss money if encountering any disaster ?
A set of home solar power system can work above 25 years normally, after seriously to elect eligible products, premium EPC companies can keep the system don’t have much extra maintenance cost after then. Most of pv manufacturers all provide limited warranty for generation, the power performance can be kept no less than 80% after 25 years. Regards to the ability of resisting natural disasters, basically, solar power system can resist typhoon for 10 grade ~ 14 grade or more. This year, a grade 14 typhoon passed through the Pearl River Delta of China, none of any solar power system has problem, they are operating normally. Proof by facts, it is no problem for solar pv system station to resist natural disaster according to scientific design scheme to construct.
7. Currently, home solar power system has government’s subsidy, if someday government cancels this subsidy, what should we do ?
For the subsidy, in China, the subsidy that State government provides to power generation for self mode is US$0.064/KWh, validity is 20 years. After completing to install a home solar power system, the subsidy that you can get is US$0.064/KWh in the following 20 years, even if government cancels the subsidy policy in someday, the former solar pv stations can’t be effected, you can still get US$0.064/KWh until the final 20 years starting for the grid-tie date, just the solar power systems which are installed after the subsidy cancelling would not be got subsidy.
8. How to treat the news reporting “ it need consume large of energy to manufacture solar panel” ?
Definitely, it need consume some energy during production process of solar panel, there are three production processes requiring to consume a lot of energy, they are Industrial silicon purification, production for high-purity polycrystalline silicon, production for monocrystalline silicon rod or polycrystalline silicon ingot. Nevertheless, solar cells can continue to generate electric power for 25 years. According to the measured, the energy return of solar pv system is higher than above 15 times of its power consumption within its lifespan under average sunshine condition in China. In Beijing, the energy return of a 1KW grid-tie rooftop solar power system is just 1.5~2 years, which is far less than its lifespan. Namely, the power generation of this solar pv system is to offset the power consumption of its production processes at the first 1.5~2 years, the power generation is pure generation output after then. So, it is still very economic from whole of full year to treat solar pv system.
9. How much sunlight that we can exploit ? will it become the mainstream energy in future ?
The solar radiation that Earth surface receives can meet 10 thousand times of global energy requirement. The solar irradiance that Earth surface can receive is about 1000~2000KWh for each square meter in average each year. According to data presentation of International Energy Agency, if to install solar pv system on 4% area of global deserts, it can be enough to meet global energy requirement. Solar pv generation system has widely developing space (Rooftop, construction area, idle districts and deserts, etc), it has large potential.
Home solar power system can be classified as on-grid and off-grid, on-grid is to connect with public grid, power generation from solar is for home appliances consumption, surplus is connected with public grid to sell to state. Of course this solar power generation also can completely use for home appliances or completely sell to state. Off-grid is independent operation, it need battery to store the power generation for solar, this system is costly than on-grid solar system. Presently, governments have greatly supported solar power system developing in many Countries, considerable subsidy is provided to promote this development, usually, the investment return is about 6 years, while a set of solar pv generation equipment can work above 25 years, it can create considerable income for many years.
The revenue of home solar power system includes three parts.
(1) State government’s subsidy. Such as in some district of China, US$0.064/KWh (State government’s subsidy)+US$0.045/KWh (Local government’s subsidy)=US$0.109/KWh. No matter the solar power generation is used for home appliances, or selling to State grid, the subsidy can be got only if power generation from solar system.
(2) Saving Electric Cost. Solar power generation for home appliances, don’t need pay electric cost, equals to earn. For example, in China, the current electric cost is US$0.08/KWh, namely, you earn US$0.109/KWh+US$0.08/KWh=US$0.189/KWh.
(3) Grid-Tie to sell electric power. The surplus power can be sold to State Grid, price is about US$0.06/KWh in China.
The general principle of home solar power generation system is “power generation for self, surplus selling to State Grid”. Then it doesn’t need battery, the power usage can be got directly from public grid.
For example, a 6KW home solar power system can generate 6000KWh electric power a year, 60% for self using, 40% selling to State Grid.
Then, the Year Revenue =Subsidy + Electric Cost +Income of Selling Power
Subsidy: 6000KWh*(US$0.064+US$0.045)=US$654.
Electric Cost: 6000KWh*60%*US$0.08 =US$288.
Selling Power: 6000KWh*40%*US$0.06=US$144.
Then, the Year Revenue is US$654+US$288+US$144=US$1086
Above all, the revenue of home solar power system is considerable because of government’s support and subsidy. Nowadays, more and more Countries provide greatly support to develop solar power generation system. It has the tendency that solar power system would replace the position of fossil fuel to become main energy in future.
Bingsolar Power, 15th, December, 2017
