The Alternative Energy Thread - Generators, Solar, UPS, Wind

[ahmar.mirza]

You are right. I got a quote of 13.5lacs for 10kw with 16 plates ( bifacial ) from someone not in DHA.

One company having office in dha gave quote of around 17.5 with 19 plates .. exact same plates and same inverter. Infact growatt inverter quoted by dha guys was 265000rs whereas other party quoted 290000

if we make it 16 plates for DHA company still their quote is 16lacs. Seeing the quotations my mind cannot find the reason for extra 2.5lacs dha guys are asking for. I have called the other party again to have exact measurements for wiring just to avoid any surprises at the end but they still say they have every thing in the quote already.

[saadaqib00]

Wow 13.5!!! that's super low but be careful with these... sometimes there is a catch when they give you such extra cheap quotes.
Look for good, reputed companies who have reviews on their social media handles or something like that & always know what they are including in the installation as they will cut every corner possible starting from screws, bolts & structure to make the offer seem attractive.
I understand that everyone has the right to make their own business profitable but charging insane amounts of markup on solar setups is a dumb move..

[ahmar.mirza]

Yes I had the idea. But a friend of mine got every thing himself and got it installed by some company last year. So he was saying we can get the wires/breakers ourselves. For plates he already got from these guys and the rate is standard as per market. Even the structure these guys said is 1500rs per piece expensive than the dha guys.

DHA guys have civil work mentioned ( which we can get done ourselves for the base of structures ). Plus the wiring and boring they are charging high. Rest of the things were same.

But yes I have to be careful here and I have asked them to visit again for exact measurements.

[mgalaxy3]

@ahmar.mirza what specs should we use for
1) wiring
2) breakers
3) metal/gauge for structure?

Installers quote differing specs so want to make sure what’s good

[sardarg]

sir i believe for a turn key solution, requiring the minute details of sundry supplementary items will become seriously confusing.

For a turnkey solution 3 items shall be of utmost importance and crucial. PV brand & classification, Warranty support turn around time for the Inverter and after sales support response time.

if a user start to collect the itemized prices and source every item from retail shops, the system integrator will not assume any responsibility in case of an item failure and providing support. He will charge you for every complaint / service call made for example if the inverter is dead down, he may decline to attend call same day and will only remove system from the configuration. Repairs & recovery of inverter to & from service centre will be your very own task as you have done the purchase and can claim warranty or free service. etc etc

please keep such minute details in view when discussing turn key solution(s). Saving xx000 for a million and half worth system is not a right decision. To obtain prices and negotiate with solution provider is right way to save money.

[capsat]

this morning my installer called said sir solar panel utarwa layn toffan araha hai .
32 panels tied in landscape shape to an elevated iron rail structure, base support is moulded into cemented blocks, i asked him what if i don't

@Xulfiqar @babarhyd @raza1

[Xulfiqar]

Lol!!!

I would ask how his morning was.

[pwuser16800059408]

bump

[mgalaxy3]

Guys
What are the effects of budget on solar panels, inverters and batteries?

I read a lot of incentives are now given?

[AkbarGr8]

Incentive provided on machinery import for local manufacturing of solar panels. Not immediate relief imho.

[capsat]

incentive is for "manufacturers" as CKD assemblers.

not for finished product importers.

[mgalaxy3]

What’s the best path forward when choosing a hybrid system requiring three phases. Requirement 5kw-6kw capacity for now.

Options:

1. Use a single 6kw nitrox hybrid single phase inverter
2. Use 3 Nitrox/other hybrid inverters n interconnect them which total 6kw or more
3. Get a single hybrid nitrox 12kw inverter 3 phase for future proofing (but costs a lot — above 9 lacs!)

Main confusion is will single phase nitrox Hybrid inverter or other brands work on 3 phase supply meter.

@saqibhassan95 @AkbarGr8 @noobie @centos / other experts

Note: ongrid is not an option due to loadshedding

[saqibhassan95]

can you manage your load under 6kw? if yes, you can use one phase for export and import with single phase inverter

[AkbarGr8]

Are you based in khi? Why exactly do you need a 3 phase inverter (if khi this is compulsory). Do you plan on getting net metering?

[noobie]

Is three-phase net metering required at your location ? Check with your DISCO, it may not be required. If it is, then it seems that the Nitrox 12kw inverter is the only option available to you, unless you're open to purchasing three separate nitrox inverters (3kw each). I am happy with my 12kw Nitrox inverter, but if I were to design my system again, I would opt for 2x Nitrox 6kw inverters instead which would also be more cost-effective compared to a single 12kw hybrid - that model is currently 375k in Lahore, so two would cost 750K) because I require redundancy. If my current inverter were to develop a fault, I would be left without any backup as I have heard it takes a few days for these companies to claim warranty and repair these inverters. As a backup, I have retained my old Veyron 2.5kw inverter, which I previously used only with batteries (NO PV). However, connecting it to my battery bank would pose challenges since my current battery bank operates at 48v, whereas the Veyron inverter supports only 24v so it would not be plug & play. By the way, I'm glad you waited. I was just doing some rough calculations and I would have easily saved approximately 6 lac if I had made the purchase now. That 12kw inverter at one point was priced at 11 Lac Rs. Unfortunately, I ended up buying at the peak. (I really needed the backup as that one day load shedding in Jan was a wake up call for me. I work from home and need reliable electricity 24/7).

[nfssaad]

any ideas which is the cheapest 3 phase inverter currently available?

[AkbarGr8]

If you're asking for hybrid - I know only 3 - the 12kw Nitrox Inverex, one by Tesla (i think its 15kw) and lastly by Solarmax (orion) (10kw+, price unknown). Not sure of current pricing and availability for the tesla.

If you check out aliexpress, there are smaller 3phase versions (Deye) but no one has given me a proper answer if these will work in Pakistan or not.

[mgalaxy3]

@saqibhassan95 @AkbarGr8

Currently bahria RWP so have 3 phase meter. And I assume it will need 3 phase inverter no?

May shift to DHA 2 isb I’m not sure if they require 3 phase for net metering.

[mgalaxy3]

Thanks @noobie guess I got lucky as prices have been reduced a bit indeed.

[noobie]

All Green Meters require three phase connection AFAIK but you can still have net-metering with single phase inverter depending on your DISCO's regulations. I live in DHA Lahore and three phase inverter is not required. Bahria Town Lahore does require 3 Phase Inverter, so I'm assuming that's the case for Bahria RWP too.