Enhancing solar power systems
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“We should regularly wash our hands with soap and avoid touching our faces. At a meeting of the Ministerial Task Force, while I was speaking I was touching my face until another minister nudged me not to do it,” he said smiling, amidst laughter from the others.
In another incident, also from a video clip doing the rounds, a US public health official, speaking on the same subject, is seen licking her finger every time she turns a page while delivering a written speech!
Jokes aside, it goes to show that touching one’s face is common and involuntary even though people may take the best of precautions.
Now that the WHO has declared the new coronavirus disease as pandemic, COVID-19 continues to be the topic of discussion everywhere including when the trio met on Thursday under the margosa tree. They were discussing the plight of Sri Lankans working in West Asia where some countries have closed their borders to some nationalities including Sri Lankans.
“Than meda peradigata yana kattiyawa rajayen navathwei-da danne ne (I wonder whether the government will stop people going to the Middle East),” said Kussi Amma Sera.
“Ape Sri Lankikayan ehe sevaya karana eka gena monawada kiyanna puluwan? Egollanta ehata apahu yanna pulung wevida? (What about our Sri Lankans working there? Will they be allowed to return there?)” asked Mabel Rasthiyadu.
“Mema gataluva masa gananavak thiyewi kiyala mama hithanawa (I think this problem will continue for many months),” noted Serapina.
Listening to their concerns, I was convinced that the Government appears to be way above its head in dealing with the crisis. While public health officials are actively engaged in dealing with the situation, there doesn’t appear to be a coordinated effort (like the Singapore example) that would deal with issues pertaining to health, migrant workers, import and exports, sourcing raw materials, tea markets, apparel and anything connected to the crisis. There should be a constant flow of information not only on the health issues but also the other affected sectors of the economy. The absence of Parliamentary sittings means the issue doesn’t get wider coverage.
It was at this point that the phone rang. It was ‘Shifty’ Silva, the always-inquisitive IT expert, to whom I had not spoken to for a while. “Hi friend, how are you doing,” he said. “Fine…fine, nice talking to you after a long time,” I replied, expecting him to discuss the new coronavirus situation. It was not so.
“Did you hear about the proposed new regulations permitting the introduction of hybrid inverters?” he asked. “No. What is happening?” I asked in response.
He said a draft specification on hybrid inverters has been released by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) seeking public comment, which will be open till May.
“This is a good idea because with your solar power home unit, while the solar power feeds the national grid, an inverter will also store power in a power bank. This means, unlike today your solar power unit will provide you uninterrupted power even when the national grid power is cut off,” he said.
Reading from an explanation on the web, he said, “a hybrid inverter is primarily used for grid-tie purposes but also has the added feature that it provides backup power to your home when the electric utility fails. A hybrid power system is the best of both worlds – you never need to worry about being without power,” adding that: “This is a great step forward.”
Thinking this would be a great informative piece for my column this week, I began to search for more information on hybrid inverters and it so happened that the Business Times was running an article on this subject this week.
According to Jeremy Fernando, Founder /Managing Director of Innovative Smart Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd, who deals with solar power systems, on-grid inverters are designed to operate only when grid power supply is available and should shut-down during power failures or when the grid power is terminated for grid maintenance.
Hybrid inverters, in comparison, are capable of storing energy in batteries as well as exporting energy to the grid. Compared with hybrid inverters, on-grid inverters are unable to store energy in batteries, which is the main difference between the two types of inverters.
He said once approved, hybrid inverters will change the way people use solar energy now. Using hybrid inverters, people will be able to deploy much more efficient solar energy systems than what are seen today.
Solar power systems are becoming a popular commodity in homes and workplaces. There are special loan schemes available where you can install a solar power unit at home that would generate power that feeds your entire home and more. The monthly loan instalment is generally worked out to be equal to your monthly electricity bill and in, generally, five years the instalments end and you get free electricity after that. Now any excess power generated from your solar power unit (more than what you need) is accumulated to your account which can be used at a later stage.
The only disadvantage in this system is that when the grid power is cut, your supply is also cut – a fact that was not clearly understood in the early days of the net metering concept where there was a misconception that with a solar power unit, you have access to power all the time, even when electricity fails.
However, hybrid inverters don’t come cheap. According to Mr. Fernando, hybrid inverters are costlier than on-grid as they have additional technology which is needed to handle battery storage, confirm safety when grid power supply is terminated etc. “As a rough indication, a hybrid inverter may cost approximately 50 per cent more than an on-grid inverter of the same capacity, depending on the manufacturer,” he says.
Even though it might be a cost too high for home units, it would be interesting to see whether the private sector, particularly many factories which have installed solar power units on their roofs, makes a further investment in hybrid inverters. A good sign: An increasingly number of companies are installing large solar power units, the latest case being Hayleys Fentons which is installing a 64,000 square feet of rooftop area with solar panels at the Hayleys Fabric’s manufacturing facility at Horana, generating an initial 1MWp of solar power, with a total of 4MWp capacity .
However, our main power comes from thermal power plants while generation from the traditional hydro power has reduced and fluctuates based on seasonal rainy weather. While Sri Lanka has a long way to go in having a bigger slice of renewable energy like solar, wind and other sources, the plan to allow hybrid inverters is a step in the right direction.
Bringing in my second cup of tea, Kussi Amma Sera asks: “Sar, korona vayrasaya nisa toga gabada kirima nisa, ahara hingayak eti vevi-da? (Sir, will there be a food shortage due to stock piling owing to the coronavirus?)”
“Eka mama balaporottu novemi… mama balaporottu novemi (I hope not…I hope not),” I respond worriedly.
Sri Lanka needs to put all its energies into preventive care and to ensure firstly that the country’s people are safe before dealing with the fallout from the economy and business. The health and safety of the people are of paramount importance, without any doubt.