Established in 2010, Hykon Solar Energy (P) Ltd is a part of the Hykon group of companies based out of Thrissur, Kerala. I came across their stall in the recently concluded RENERGY 2013 expo, held at Chennai.
Hykon supplies many solar energy-based products, but the Hykon Solgen is a very interesting product, as it includes all the components required for setting up a solar power plant at home or office!
What is a solar power plant?
As you maybe aware, solar panels are only a part of the solar power plant system. The solar panels generate DC electricity, but it still needs to be converted into AC, for appliances to be able to use it. This is done by a unit called inverter. Also, solar energy is available only during the day. Hence, batteries are required to store the (excess) solar energy generated during the day (if any) and power appliances during the night. Charge controllers are required to make sure that batteries are not over charged.
A solar power plant includes all these components (and perhaps more) in a single package.
The Hykon Solgen is one such solar power plant that is being offered in different capacities - 1500 Whr, 1.5 Units (1000); 3000 Whr, 3 units (2000); 5000 Whr, 5 units (3000); 8000 Whr, 8 units (5000).
Further details on the various models, components included with each model, their capacities, list of appliances that can be powered by them, etc. are available here.
Solgen can operate in 4 modes:
- Solar power higher than AC loads: Solar panels directly supply power to all appliances and excess power is sent to the battery for storage.
- Solar power lower than AC loads: Solar panels supply available power to appliances and any excess power required is drawn from the batteries (if stored power is available).
- Solar power not available: Power is drawn from batteries to power appliances (if stored power is available).
- Solar power not available & no stored power in battery: Power from the grid (mains) is drawn to power appliances and to charge the battery.
My opinion:
By design, the system seems to be interesting because it uses the power from solar panels (as much as possible), uses a battery to store and draw power (when required) and also connects to the mains (grid). It will bring down the electricity usage of customers and will be very useful to users who are in the higher bracket of electricity consumption, as premium rates are currently charged for them by the Electricity Board. These users can use such a solar power plant to reduce the amount of power drawn from the mains/grid, and try to get back to a lower billing slab.
While evaluating such systems, it is important to consider the cost of the system and also its payback time. For example, if a particular model can produce 3 units per day, you should calculate how much time it will take for the solar power plant to repay your capital, based on the monthly savings in EB bills. This time should be finite - say 7 to 10 years (for example). Because, after this time, all the electricity produced by this system will come at zero cost, and hence your actual savings will be higher.
Please note that batteries have a limited life and hence be sure to check the warranty information and battery replacement cost (along with the period by which they need replacement). Factor this cost in your payback time calculation. Solar panels come with a decent warranty, but do check the warranty for all the individual components and if there are any annual maintenance charges. You may need sufficient space on the roof/terrace to install the solar panels.
Further Information/Product web-page: Hykon Solgen.
Disclaimer: The product specific information given in this article is based on the information available in the vendor's website linked above, and this may change with time. Hence, please visit the vendor's site to get the latest product information. Also, this site is only for informational purpose and hence it is the responsibility of the readers to check the quality of the product/support strength, etc. before buying anything.
