Solarnomics: By 2016, solar pv energy to offer best value for money

Imagine by investing around Rs. 50,000 to 60,000 on a solar PV panel, you can get a continuous power of 2KW (kilo watts) peak during the optimal sunlight condition during daytime. For a typical home in India without a airconditioner, 2KW of electric power generation for about 6-8 hours serves much of the electric power needs, provided the excess solar energy generated during day time is stored in a battery for night use. This will result in the generation of approximately 360 kilowatt-hour units of power per month, that is equivalent to around 1400 Rupees (at Rupees 4 per unit) of worth of electric power. If you add another Rs.25,000 -35,000 (depending on the battery size) for solar power inverter and battery for storage, the total cost of equipment and solar panel for a 2KW rooftop solar power generator is around Rupees 75,000- 85,000. Except for the battery replacement once in every 3 years at a cost of around 10,000 to 15,000 there is no any other major maintainance costs involved. The solar panels can last for 25-30 years at its best capacity and the inverter can work that long provided it is of good quality. Why we are providing this calculation! simply to tell you that the cost for peak watt of solar PV panel is falling to US$0.4 per watt by 2016. Even now the international cost of solar PV panel is in the range of 0.7-0.8US$ per watt. This is based on the anno...