The Second Batch of 4 Weeks Professional Advantage Course Concluded
The second batch of 4 Weeks Professional Advantage Course on Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Design, Installation & Maintenance ended on 26th May 2017. The course covered detailed technical information and step-by-step methodology for design, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of grid-connected and off-grid solar PV systems. The course was attended by engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs from different states of India.
What did the participants like most about the programme
Experience shared by Principal Trainer Mr. Dwipen Boruah was very helpful
– Krishna Kumar Gupta
The content of the book and the method of teaching was excellent. The experience shared by Principal Trainer Mr. Dwipen Boruah was extremely helpful.
- Arun Choudhary
The program was very helpful for me even I am from non- engineering background
- Pinky Upadhyay
Quality of training and education, knowledge shared with us beyond the course, efforts and patience of faculties were make us understand the topics very well.
- Dikshant Gupta
Practical approach of explaining all the topics
- Atul Aggarwal
Personalized attention and required tool were always available
- Bharat Naik
The First Batch of 4 Weeks Professional Advantage Course Concluded
The First Batch of 4 Weeks Professional Advantage Course on Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Design, Installation & Maintenance Ended on 28th April 2017. The course covered detailed technical information and step-by-step methodology for design, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of grid-connected and off-grid solar PV systems. The course was attended by engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs from different states of India, Netherlands and Saudi Arabia.
What did the participants like most about the programme
Study material is excellent. The questions of the exercise & exams were best and this exam, solved my queries - Mr. Sanket Warude
The study materials (books and online materials) - Mohamed Elgozoli
The study material, exercises & assessment - Hamid Al Said
The curriculum of the program was compiled very well. It is very much helpful in giving a good understanding of PV system - Aditya Shah
This program gives overall structure, view about solar PV grid connected & standalone system. The design task for off-grid and grid connected rooftop projects are the best - S. Rajesh Kumar
PPT Presentation – Shivam Singh
GSES India Prepared RE Toolkit for Legislators for Local Area Development
GSES India prepared Renewable Energy Local Area Development toolkit for ligislators for local area development. The toolkit has been developed to help the legislators organize a renewable energy plan in their respective constituencies. The toolkit highlights the importance of clean and renewable energy technologies at the local level, and provides comprehensive information and details on implementing renewable energy projects.
3 Days Renewable Energy Project Management Course Concluded
GSES India conducted 3 days Renewable Energy Project Management Course on 20-22 April 2017. The course focus was on feasibility and planning, design and development and project management for rooftop and MW scale solar power projects. The course was attended by engineers, professionals and entrepreneurs from different states of India and The Republic of Zimbabwe.
What did the participants like most about the programme
Way of communication to a non-technical person to understand technical issues was very effective. Demosntration equipment and videos and practicals were very helpful.
- Mr. Uttam Kr. Saxena, Lucknow
Very helpful for new startup and also quality improvement for experienced.
- Mr. Mithilesh Kumar, NISE, Gurgaon
Ground level experience sharing with theory
- Mr. Shailendra sharma, Delhi
Participation in the group, Display of tools and their demonstration was indeed an eye opener.
- Mr. Julius Mapipi, Zimbawe
Depth of the course, quality of installation, structure of course very useful and insightful instructor.
- Mr. Bhardwaz Bhagawati, Guwahati
Project design and development and project feasibility and planning part.
- Mr. Kamlesh Kumar, MECON, Ranchi
GSES India to present at Intersolar 2014
Dwipen Boruah, Managing Director of GSES India, will be presenting at Intersolar 2014 in the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India on Thursday 20 November 2014. His presentation, 'Quality Framework to Ensure Manpower', will be held in Hall 6, Auditorium 1, from 3:40pm to 4:00pm (see the program here).
Intersolar India is India’s largest exhibition and conference for the solar industry and, as a leading industry platform, focuses on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage and solar thermal technologies.
See Dwipen's biography on the Intersolar website here, & read more about the conference here.
Renewable Energy and Alternate Fuels
GSES India is proud to be associated with the Delhi Technological University (DTU) faculty development program on Renewable Energy and Alternate Fuels (REAF-2014), which will be held from June 16th to June 20th, 2014.
The program will cover:
Renewable Power Sources and their Technologies
Alternative Fuels for Transportation
Energy Efficiency, auditing and conservation
Solid and Liquid Waste Management
Wind and Small Hydro Energy Systems
Solar Air Heating Systems and their Applications in Drying of Agricultural and Industrial products.
Solar water heating systems and their domestic and Industrial applications.
Concentrated Solar Thermal for steam generation and their applications for cooking and Power Generation.
Solar Refrigeration and Air-conditioning
Solar furnace
Solar Photovoltaic, Balance of systems, Energy Storage, Battery sizing, off grid and on grid PV applications.
Overview of Solar Design Simulation Software for PV & Thermal
For more information, please see the brochure linked below:
Dwipen Boruah, Managing Director of GSES India, will give a presentation on Best practices for design and installations during Session V: Best EPC and O&M practices and novel solutions for solar energy industry in India (16:30–17:30) on the first day of the conference (Monday 22 July).
For more information, and to register for the conference, please visit the event website below:
The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences
Ambience Island, NH8
Gurgaon 122 002
Delhi - N.C.R, India
Metering 101: Understanding metering for rooftop PV systems
Amidst all the action around grid connected rooftop PV systems, it is important to understand the type of metering and how that would impact your generation based incentives. This article aims to provide some clarity on the topic.
The type of meter that will be installed with a grid-connected PV system will depend on the purchasing agreement with the electricity distributor. Two types of widely used metering arrangements are net metering and gross metering:
1.Net Metering
In net metering arrangement, the meter is allowed to operate in both directions. The electricity produced by the PV system (Sg) either provides power directly to the loads or is exported to the grid making the meter rotate backwards, reducing the actual number of units consumed as counted by the meter (Figure 1.1).
When information is required on both the export and import electricity, a dual metering system is used. In this arrangement two mechanical meters can be installed with i-dents that only allow them to operate (or rotate) in one direction only (Figure 1.2). In this arrangement, the export meter will record the amount of electricity generated by the PV system that is exported to the grid during the day, while the import meter will record the exact amount of electricity that is consumed from the grid. By setting the export price of generated electricity at appropriate levels, users can be incentivized to increase self-consumption.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
2.Gross Metering
This type of metering measures the generation and import of your electricity separately. By metering the total number of solar units of generated and total number of units consumed, this method allows the utility to charge the customers separately for import, generation and net consumption and if required, even at different rates. This is imposed by having two separate meters or using dual metering (dual-element electronic import and export meter; Figure 2). However, in this type of configuration, all of the energy generated is exported to the grid and user has no incentive to increase self-consumption.
Figure 2
Learn about more such topics, best practices and international standards in GSES ‘Grid Connected PV Systems Design’ online course or read more in GSES ‘Grid Connected PV Systems Design and Installation’ Handbook. Visit www.gses.in/training or www.gses.in/publications for details.
Buy now using your credit or debit card on the GSES online shop (www.gses.in/shop).
Recent updates in the PV array installation standards and best practices have led to questions about the types of earthing and bonding in photovoltaic systems. This article aims to clarify what is meant then terms like earthing and bonding are used, and to briefly explain why each of these methods is needed.
Earthing possibilities/Types of Earthing?
The following options for earthing or bonding of parts of a PV array exist:
Functional earthing of conductive non-current carrying parts.
Equipotential bonding to avoid uneven potentials across the installation.
Earthing for lightening protection.
Functional earthing of one current carrying pole (conductor) of the PV array.
When is Functional Earthing implemented?
Functional earthing whether as per part (a) or (d) is required when the DC voltage of the PV system is above the Decisive Voltage Classification (DVC) - A category i.e.? 60V, as per IEC 62548.
Why functional earthing is implemented?
Some modules require functional earthing (as part (d) above) so that they operate correctly (performance) or so that they do not corrode internally. Thin film modules generally need to be negatively earthed, to prevent ‘bar-graph’ corrosion inside the module. Back-contact modules (i.e. Sunpower) need to be positively earthed to achieve their rated efficiency (See figure).
Functional earthing (as per part (a) above) and equipotential bonding are implemented to allow for better detection of leakage paths to Earth and to prevent electric shock.
What is Equipotential Bonding?
In the case of PV arrays, there are two forms of equipotential bonding:
Main equipotential bonding: It is the connection of exposed conductive parts to the main earthing terminal.
Supplementary equipotential bonding: It is the connection of exposed conductive parts to exposed conductive parts and/or extraneous conductive parts with a purpose of keeping the voltage in exposed conductive arts sufficiently low.
This conductor is then connected back to the earth in the MEN system, and must be a minimum of 6mm2 (as per IEC 62548).
Why do you need Equipotential Bonding?
When a PV array is connected to a PCE (especially transformerless), high frequency switching occurs within the inverter and can cause a small AC-like fluctuation in the array cables. The array cables are effectively capacitively coupled to the module frames, and over time this induces a voltage on the module frames and hence chances of electrical shock. To eliminate this voltage any array connected to a PCE needs to have equipotential bonding on all array frames and mounting rails.
What configurations are NOT recommended?
It is not recommended to connect a functionally earthed array (as per part (d)) to a transformerless (non-isolated) inverter. The configuration is not recommended due to the high probability that the inverter will introduce direct current into the AC electricity grid.
Learn about more such topics, best practices and international standards in GSES ‘Grid Connected PV Systems Design’ online course or read more in GSES ‘Grid Connected PV Systems Design and Installation’ Handbook. Visit www.gses.in/training or www.gses.in/publications for details.
Buy now using your credit or debit card on the GSES online shop (www.gses.in/shop).
1. Actuator lever – used to manually trip and reset the circuit breaker 2. Actuator mechanism – forces the contacts together or apart 3. Contacts – Allow current when touching and break the current when moved apart 4. Terminals 5. Bimetallic strip 6. Calibration screw – allows the manufacturer to precisely adjust the trip current of the device after assembly 7. Solenoid 8. Arc divider / extinguisher
Always wondered why DC circuit breakers are/should be used with solar PV systems when AC circuit breakers are less expensive and more readily available?!
Here’s why:
In AC circuits (regular household circuits), the voltage source changes the polarity of its output regularly. In India, this happens 100 times per second. By contrast, in DC circuits, the current flow is unidirectional due to the fixed polarity of the voltage source. This leads to undisrupted, longer and sustainable arcs in DC circuits (the reason why arc welding machines use DC current and not AC current). See DC arcs in action here:
Source: RISE
While breaking a DC circuit, it is easy to form such arcs, and if they are not extinguished in time they lead to device overheating and ultimately to fire. AC circuit breakers are not equipped well enough to deal with such arcs, whereas DC circuit breakers have special arc chutes to capture arcs and extinguish them safely, hence they are highly recommended. See what happens when AC circuit breakers are used in DC circuits or when safety devices are under-rated:
Source: RISE
Learn about more such best practices in the GSES online course Grid Connected PV System Design, or read more in GSES' Grid Connected PV Systems: Design and Installation Handbook. Visit www.gses.in/training or www.gses.in/publications for details.
GSES India recently participated in the 2013 European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) in Paris, France. Hailed as one of the biggest solar PV events in the world, EU PVSEC 2013 gathered expertise from both industry and academia to provide a long list of plenary sessions, oral presentations and poster displays, accompanied by industry-organised parallel events and workshops.
EUPVSEC posters
Integrating storage with PV systems received lots of attention from the industry as a means to solve the rising voltage fluctuations issue by increasing self-consumption. Training and education also formed a significant part of the 5-day conference, with talks from representatives of the Install+RES Project and the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA).
On the modules side, the issue of Potential Induced Degradation (PID) dominated the discussion. Although, as widely believed, PID is exacerbated by factors like high voltage, heat and humidity, precise causes and scientific explanation of the phenomenon still largely remain an enigma. Leading component manufacturers and academicians presented their views and suggested solutions to this problem.
With the increasing flow of PV-related materials and equipment from more than 200 manufacturers across different regions of the world, the development of international standards was seen as an important issue to facilitate trade and further reduce costs. In one of the talks, members of IEC Technical Committee 82 detailed their efforts to bring standardization to the global PV industry. The committee has so far developed over 60 technical standards addressing risks along the value chain.
With the cost of solar at rock-bottom prices, innovation, change and education will be key to keeping costs down and the industry sustainable. GSES India’s training and publication services help keep your business abreast with the latest industry standards and best practices, to enable you to be competitive in this growing and rapidly changing industry.
Multi-Mega-Scale PV Systems
Image from Gujarat Power Commission Ltd.
Multi-Mega-scale photovoltaic (PV) projects have been in news for a while but are they really the way to go? We analysed the pros and cons of such centralised solar electricity-generation systems to get some insight.
Pros
Technology forerunner: The largest solar project commissioned in the world so far is the Agua Caliente Solar Project in the USA, 26 MWp larger than the Charanka Park, Patan district PV power plant. Developing a project over 500 MW project would not only establish the nation as a technology leader but also prove its seriousness towards the fight for climate change.
A step closer to energy sufficiency: India is a power-deficit nation, with a generation deficit of 10–12% of its peak demand. Large-scale solar projects would help in bridging that gap quickly and in reducing the nation’s CO2 emissions per MWh.
Cost–benefit: Large-scale projects would benefit from economies of scale and hence potentially lead to lower bidding price. Other factors, such as lower overhead costs per MWh, would further lead to lower cost of generation.
Ease of implementation: Distributed solar and rooftop schemes have been effective in many parts of the developed world but at the same time have proved to be expensive and unsafe if not controlled or regulated properly. Also, in a country like India, where grid stability is still an issue, it would be difficult to reap full benefits of such schemes. Therefore, the centralised multi-Mega-scale projects would be more beneficial and easier to implement.
Cons
Lack of experience: With the current largest plant in the world being a 250 MWp plant, designing, installing and commissioning projects larger than 500 MW would pose new problems requiring innovative solutions.
Lack of local expertise: Projects of such scale would require several hundred technicians and engineers to be working onsite at any given time. Although this would create job opportunities for the local workforce, training the workforce onsite in the local dialect would be a major issue.
Grid stability issues: An important factor that directly affects the performance ratio of PV plants, the lack of a stable and robust grid capable of handling large fluctuations would be one of the biggest issues when implementing such projects.
Safety: Raising the capacity bars would require generation at higher voltages and transmission of higher current. Such high-current, high-voltage DC supply might render the plant unsafe.
Transmission losses: It makes sense to install these multi-Mega-scale projects in areas of high irradiance and, because of their size, the systems would require large open areas for installation; therefore, the projects would generally be located far from demand centres. This would mean higher transmission losses and lower overall energy efficiency.
Technology is critical: Selection of appropriate technology suited to the location and the local climate would be of utmost importance. Lack of prior experience in such projects would mean devising new techniques to categorise technology based on local requirements.
Boom–bust cycle trend: It is important to maintain certainty in the market for sustainable industry growth. Large-sized projects often lead to on–off cycles in the market, making the market unsustainable.
Village remoteness: In India, there are a large number of remote villages and towns without access to the electricity grid. Large-scale centralised generation systems bring no light to villages in darkness.
With a widening energy deficit, rising oil and gas import burdens and global pressure to act on climate change, the country needs innovative solutions and quick reforms in its electricity industry. Large-scale PV plants, if successful would not only support India’s burgeoning manufacturing industry but also establish the nation as a world leader. However, large-scale systems form just a part of a three-pronged solution, with small-scale distributed systems and standalone off-grid hybrid systems forming the other two. Equal emphasis has to be laid on all three to meet the energy demands of this fast-growing nation.
We would love to hear back your comments and opinions. Write to us at [email protected] with ‘GSES September newsletter’ as the subject.
