5 Uncommon Factors Must Consider Before Going Solar in Sri Lanka

# 1 : The climatic conditions in Sri Lanka

Our country is situated 6^o to 10^o north to the equator. Therefore the temperature in our country is usually around 32C^o and this will cause the solar panel to be operating at over 60C^o. Since our country is an island with high mountain range in the center, there is quite a lot of humidity and clouds.

The equipment you choose must be compatible with high heat and humidity conditions. Since we are talking about converting solar energy to electricity, the direct sun light must be there. But due to the clouds passing by, direct sun light cannot be promised. There for the system must be able to handle the effects of high temperature and shading due to clouds.

# 2 :The Electricity supply we have

Except for very limited areas of the country, the electricity supply is still like it was in 1950s. Power break downs, voltage fluctuations, frequency variations, voltage surges and high levels of electrical noise are very common in our electricity supply.

Therefore the equipment’s to be used in Sri Lanka must be able to withstand all these tough conditions and also must deliver the maximum performance. Equipments that which are designed for European countries, Japan and Australia will not be suitable for Sri Lanka. The performance of those systems will be as same as putting an average saloon car in an off road rally. 

# 3 :The architectural nature of our homes

The best alignment for the solar panels is south facing 15^o tilt. But we have missed it since our houses are not designed with solar panels in mind and almost all the houses are aligned along the Northwest Southeast axis to guide the two monsoon winds across the house.

Also due to the architectural aspects, most of the roofs are multi plane with smaller roof sections and sometimes comes with bizarre shapes which will make installation of solar panels impossible.

# 4 :Partial shading

Usually our houses are surrounded by trees. Therefore during high winds, the falling leafs are scattered everywhere.  These leaves falling on solar panels create partial shading which affects the system performance. Also due to birds and bats that feed on the fruits, cover the panels with their droppings. That too creates the same effect as leafs, but will require manual cleaning.

# 5 :The assurance to your investment

To save your electricity bill for the next two and half decades, you have make an investment that will be similar to paying next 5 years of your electricity bills at once. Therefore your recovery of investment, from the savings on electricity bills would be 5 years. After that, you enjoy the free electricity and financial savings.

Therefore your equipment must have a warranty period greater than the recovery of investment period. That is Longer the warranty period, greater the risk free saving. But a just long warranty period is not enough. You must be able to claim it without the hassle, within a very short period and at no cost. Also the financial stability of the equipment supplier must also be considered since they should be around to give you the warranty.

  

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