Animation explaining how solar energy is harnessed from the sun using a 3rd generation dye sensitized solar cell

How our solar panel it's made? Our solar panels offer industry-leading performance, durability, and reliability for a variety of electrical power requirements. Using breakthrough technology perfected by many years of research and development, these solar panels incorporate an advanced surface texturing process to increase light absorption and improve efficiency.

Solar Training is an interesting idea as True Green Business may be the wave of the future.

This is a simple explanation of "Series" and "Parallel" configurations for solar panels and DC batteries.

How to Calculate and Size Solar Power?

Step 3: Determine Solar Insolation in Hours

To forecast accurately, please see Malaysia Weather Historical & Forecast Data.

How to get started with solar power on Feed In Tariff

This guide will help you start exploring the possibility of going solar at your house.

Let's get up to speed on solar electricity basics with a few key definitions...

PV module: AKA a solar panel, converts energy from the sun into direct current (DC) energy. PV modules come in varying wattages and sizes. Typical PV modules used on home installations are 200 watts and about 14 square feet.

PV array: A number of PV modules wired together. Using 5 x 200 watt PV modules creates a 1,000 watt PV array.  Typical array sizes range from 2,000 to 5,000 watts and up.

Inverter: Converts DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity used around the house.  A 3,000 watt inverter will output 3,000 watts of AC electricity given enough PV input.  Typical inverter sizes range from 2,000 watts to 7,000 watts.

Grid-tied or On-grid solar system: An electrical system comprised primarily of a roof or ground mounted PV array and inverter, which are connected to and interact with the utility grid.  Other devices called over current protection devices or OCPD are used for safety.  Energy from the PV array goes fist to household loads and any extra power is stored on the utility grid.

Kilowatt hour (kwh): One kilowatt (1,000 watts) for 1 hour = 1 kilowatt hour. The utility company charges you by the number of kwh you use (or 1 unit in your utility bill).

The three main factors that will determine your eventual grid-tied solar electric systems are daily energy requirements, available shade-free space, and project budget.

Daily energy requirements:  The PV array will be generating most, if not all, the energy your home needs, so looking at your own usage is a good place to start.  Look on your utility bill or call your utility company to find out your energy use in terms of kilowatt hours per day or kwh/day.  It's best to use the average kwh/day for the last 12 months to account for seasonal variations in energy consumption.

While you're talking to SEDA and the utility company (TNB, SESCO, SSB), ask them for their "interconnection agreement." This is essentially the contract you'll enter with them when you connect PVs to their grid.  Once you know your average kwh/day usage you can plug this number into simple calculations to determine system size and cost.

Shade-free space available: PV modules need direct sunlight to produce electricity. Even a little shade on the PV array will cause significant drops in power generation. The PV array needs to be in a location where it will receive direct sunlight between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The early morning and late afternoon hours don't really count for solar production because the sun's rays pass through too much atmospheric debris to be "strong" enough to produce much power.

Every location on Earth has an average "peak sun hours" ranging from 4-6 hours, or the yearly average number of hours per day for good solar production.  These peak sun hours occur between 11a.m. and 3 p.m., so shading outside this time is less of a concern.

Tools like Google Android Apps, solar pathfinders and sun charts can be used to find out if that big tree across the street will shade the PV array in December/January.  You might have more shade-free space than necessary or it could be the limiting factor in your system's size.

Project budget: Solar electric systems are not cheap and usually cost more than expected. Modest systems start at around RM45,000 but the majority fall in the RM60,000 to RM100,00 range.  There are government incentives and rebates to take advantage of that will significantly decrease out of pocket costs.  It may not be possible to produce 100% of the energy you use and many systems are supplemental, producing as much as space and/or budget allow.    Please see SEDA for Feed In Tariff (FIT) detail.

The cost becomes more reasonable when looked at as a long term investment.  After all, you are pre-paying for your electricity at a fixed rate for what could be the rest of your life and providing free energy for your kids and grandkids.

People often complain about a long payback period, but isn't any payback whatsoever a good thing no matter how long? What's the payback on the last car you bought? A PV electric system is a risk free investment with a guaranteed payback.

Easy calculations for system size and cost:

If you know your average kwh/day or know how many kwh/day you would like to produce, a simple calculation will determine system size and cost.

System size in kilowatts (kw) = (kwh/day) / 4 hours (peak sun) x 1.43 (system losses)
Step 1: Divide average kwh/day by number of hours of peak sun, or (kwh/ay) / 4
Step 2: Multiply by 1.43 to account for system losses due to friction, heat, and other inefficiencies.

Example: What size system is needed to produce 20kwh/day?

20kwh/4h = 5kw
5kw x 1.43= 7.15kw
7.15kw = system size to produce 20kwh/day assuming 4 peak sun hours (11am to 3pm). 

System cost = system size x RM13,000 to RM15,000
Step 1: multiply system size by RM13,000 for competitive system cost installed
Step 2: multiply system size by RM15,000 for conservative system cost installed

Example: How much would a 7.15kw system cost?
7.15kw x RM13,000 = RM92,950 = competitive system cost
7.15kw x RM15,000 = RM107,250 = conservative system cost

We used to see an average cost of a grid-tied system to be about RM15,000 per kilowatt (array size) installed, but with a growing market, systems are being installed for as low as RM12,000 per kilowatt in competitive areas.  Keep in mind that these costs are before any incentives or rebates are taken into account.   When the FIT kick in, the return of investment (ROI) will be around 9 to 14 years depend on locations, solar systems, technologies and so forth.

Hopefully this helped introduce you to some of the basic considerations needed before purchasing a solar electric system.  There is far too much information to cover in a short guide and anyone serious about greener living should contact us at contact@solarpower-mart.com or SEDA for more detail.

Please take notes:
1) Malaysia only has 4 hours solar insolation (some areas may be less due to pollution).
2) Malaysia has average of 2 months cloudy/raining day per year, which solar power is not favourable.
3) When solar cell (module/panel) heat up (after noon time), the solar cell's efficiency (power output) will start to drop.  Which mean during a hot day, solar panel (PV) actually produce less.   This is a major challenge for solar power in Malaysia.
4) Every few months, installed solar panels (array) need to be clean (due to dusk accumulation on the panel) for maximum efficiency.  This is an extra cost for the owner and may increased longer payback period. Please also find out other maintenance costs.

How to Size Wiring for Your System

Properly sized wire can make the difference between inadequate and full charging of a battery system, between dim and bright lights, and between feeble and full performance of tools and appliances. Designers of low voltage power circuits are often unaware of the implications of voltage drop and wire size.

In conventional home electrical systems (120/240 volts ac), wire is sized primarily for safe amperage carrying capacity (ampacity). The overriding concern is fire safety. In low voltage systems (12, 24, 48VDC) the overriding concern is power loss. Wire must not be sized merely for the ampacity, because there is less tolerance for voltage drop (except for very short runs). For example, at a constant wattage load, a 1V drop from 12V causes 10 times the power loss of a 1V drop from 120V.

Use the following chart as your primary tool in solving wire sizing problems. It replaces many pages of older sizing charts. You can apply it to any working voltage, at any percent voltage drop.

Determining tolerable voltage drop for various electrical loads

A general rule is to size the wire for approximately 2 or 3% drop at typical load. When that turns out to be very expensive, consider some of the following advice. Different electrical circuits have different tolerances for voltage drop.

LIGHTING CIRCUITS, INCANDESCENT AND QUARTZ HALOGEN (QH): Don't cheat on these! A 5% voltage drop causes an approximate 10% loss in light output. This is because the bulb not only receives less power, but the cooler filament drops from white-hot towards red-hot, emitting much less visible light.

LIGHTING CIRCUITS, FLUORESCENT: Voltage drop causes a nearly proportional drop in light output. Flourescents use 1/2 to 1/3 the current of incandescent or QH bulbs for the same light output, so they can use smaller wire. We advocate use of quality fluorescent lights. Buzz, flicker and poor color rendition are eliminated in most of today's compact fluorescents, electronic ballasts and warm or full spectrum tubes.

DC MOTORS may be used in renewable energy systems, especially for water pumps. They operate at 10-50% higher efficiencies than AC motors, and eliminate the costs and losses associated with inverters. DC motors do NOT have excessive power surge demands when starting, unlike AC induction motors. Voltage drop during the starting surge simply results in a "soft start".

AC INDUCTION MOTORS are commonly found in large power tools, appliances and well pumps. They exhibit very high surge demands when starting. Significant voltage drop in these circuits may cause failure to start and possible motor damage. Follow the National Electrical Code. In the case of a well pump, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

PV-DIRECT SOLAR WATER PUMP circuits should be sized not for the nominal voltage (ie. 24V) but for the actual working voltage (in that case approximately 34V). Without a battery to hold the voltage down, the working voltage will be around the peak power point voltage of the PV array.

PV BATTERY CHARGING CIRCUITS are critical because voltage drop can cause a disproportionate loss of charge current. To charge a battery, a generating device must apply a higher voltage than already exists within the battery. That's why most PV modules are made for 16-18V peak power point. A voltage drop greater than 5% will reduce this necessary voltage difference, and can reduce charge current to the battery by a much greater percentage. Our general recommendation here is to size for a 2-3% voltage drop. If you think that the PV array may be expanded in the future, size the wire for future expansion. Your customer will appreciate that when it comes time to add to the array.

WIND GENERATOR CIRCUITS: At most locations, a wind generator produces its full rated current only during occasional windstorms or gusts. If wire sized for low loss is large and very expensive, you may consider sizing for a voltage drop as high as 10% at the rated current. That loss will only occur occasionally, when energy is most abundant. Consult the wind system's instruction manual.

More techniques for cost reduction

ALUMINUM WIRE may be more economical than copper for some main lines. Power companies use it because it is cheaper than copper and lighter in weight, even though a larger size must be used. It is safe when installed to code with AL-rated terminals. You may wish to consider it for long, expensive runs of #2 or larger. The cost difference fluctuates with the metals market. It is stiff and hard to bend, and not rated for submersible pumps.

HIGH VOLTAGE PV MODULES: Consider using higher voltage modules and a MPPT solar charge controller to down convert to the system voltage (e.g. 12, 24 and 48V) to compensate for excessive voltage drop. In some cases of long distance, the increased module cost may be lower than the cost of larger wire.

SOLAR TRACKING: Use a solar tracker (e.g. Zomeworks or Unirac) so that a smaller array can be used, particularly in high summer-use situations (tracking gains the most energy in summer when the sun takes the longest arc through the sky). The smaller PV array will require smaller wire.

WATER WELL PUMPS: Consider a slow-pumping, low power system with a storage tank to accumulate water. This reduces both wire and pipe sizes where long lifts or runs are involved. A PV array-direct pumping system may eliminate a long wire run by using a separate PV array located close to the pump. Many of our solar water pumps are highly efficient DC pumps that are available up to 48V. We also make AC versions and converters to allow use of AC transmitted over great distances. These pumps draw less running current, and far less starting current than conventional AC pumps, thus greatly reducing wire size requirements.