{"id":12395,"date":"2014-04-15T08:29:09","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T06:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.sma-sunny.com\/?p=12395"},"modified":"2017-12-13T16:04:39","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T15:04:39","slug":"not-just-spinning-yards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sma-sunny.com\/en\/not-just-spinning-yards\/","title":{"rendered":"Not just spinning yards"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sun is shining in the glimmering heat. At Raja Shanmugham\u2019s cotton mill, over 20\u2009000 spindles are running at full capacity. It is immediately obvious that this is using electricity \u2013 and a lot of it. However, the energy supply in the South Indian city of Palladam is unstable. For many business owners, this is the primary motivation to invest in a diesel genset. But the cost of diesel fuel continues to creep higher. To cut costs, Shanmugham looked for an independent electricity supply \u2013 and found photovoltaics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cOver the past few decades, the region has undergone significant economic development, especially when it comes to cotton processing,\u201d explained Shanmugham, who comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His cotton mill is located in Palladam, a city in South India that is home to around 32\u2009000 people. Here in the state of Tamil Nadu, there are approximately 1\u2009600 cotton processing operations. \u201cCotton processing is extremely energy-intensive,\u201d said Shanmughan. \u201cAnd with the growing market, energy is in increasingly short supply.\u201d Furthermore, in addition to there being a lot of competition, the electricity supply is unstable. In fact, it is not unusual to see the machines standing idle in these companies because the public utility infrastructure has collapsed again. Business owners who generate their own electricity, and thus protect themselves against power outages, are at a clear advantage. To do this, most businesses use a diesel genset. However, not only is using a diesel genset detrimental to people and the environment, but the fuel is also expensive \u2013 especially if it needs to be transported over long distances.<\/p>\n

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Independence from rising diesel costs and unstable utility grids<\/b><\/h5>\n
\"Heiko<\/a>

Heiko Stieber of SMA on the importance of photovoltaics as the best alternative to expensive diesel gensets<\/p><\/div>\n

Shanmugham and his employees no longer wanted to be reliant on costly diesel fuel alone. \u201cElectricity makes up around 15\u2009% of the cost of our product,\u201d said the businessman. \u201cThe cheaper the electricity we use, the more competitively priced our products. We originally invested in wind power, but when there was a grid failure, we couldn\u2019t use wind energy because it was supplied to us via the utility grid. So we had to find another solution.\u201d While considering their options, Shanmugham and his employees were clear on the fact that the energy needed to be produced directly on-site. \u201cSo we decided on photovoltaics as it was the best solution for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore and more people all over the world will come to realize that photovoltaics is the best alternative to expensive diesel gensets for an independent electricity supply.\u201d Heiko Stieber, SMA<\/i><\/p>\n

Now, if there is a power outage, he can sit back and relax. If the utility grid collapses, the diesel system forms a utility grid that the PV system on the factory\u2019s roof feeds into and that reliably supplies the 20\u2009400 spindles with solar power. Palladam has up to 300 days of sunshine per year and solar irradiation of between four and seven kilowatt hours per square meter, which form ideal conditions for the use of photovoltaics. This enables the company to save 50\u2009000 liters of diesel fuel a year, which also translates into cash savings.<\/p>\n

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A little box with a big impact<\/b><\/h5>\n

An important step in the project was to integrate the new PV system into the existing diesel system. This is all made possible thanks to a small, inconspicuous metal box. The SMA Fuel Save Controller provides the interface between the diesel generator, PV system and loads. \u201cIt ensures that the exact amount of solar power needed is fed into the diesel grid,\u201d explained Heiko Stieber, who worked closely with local installers as the SMA project manager responsible for the Palladam system. \u201cThe Fuel Save Controller knows exactly which loads require electricity and how much. This enables diesel fuel consumption to be kept to a minimum. For me, this is one of the most exciting projects I\u2019ve ever worked on.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It is the afternoon and the thermometer reads 33 degrees Celsius. The windows of the cotton mill are wide open. The workers are helping themselves to water from water dispensers set up in the workshops. But wind and water aren\u2019t the only things responsible for creating a better working atmosphere. Since the PV system was installed on the roof, the workshops don\u2019t heat up nearly as much as before. India is known as the country of origin for cotton, its tradition of spinning is long. From 1921 to 1947, India\u2019s unofficial flag even bore the symbol of a blue spinning wheel. It signified the pursuit of economic and political independence. Still today, the wheel in the center of the Indian flag looks a bit like a spinning wheel.<\/p>\n

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Leasing models already under discussion<\/b><\/h5>\n

\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWith ever increasing fuel prices and the progression of climate change, renewable energies like photovoltaics are becoming increasingly important for us,\u201d explained Shanmugham. \u201cHere in India, the importance of photovoltaics will almost certainly grow and not only in the commercial arena. I could even see myself setting up a solar energy supply at home.\u201d He lives with his wife, son and parents in Tiruppur, which is about 20 kilometers away from Palladam. New business models, such as leasing PV systems, are already under discussion in India. This model means that users won\u2019t have to buy the system themselves. Instead, the leasing company provides the system to its customers for a monthly fee and they can use it freely,\u201d Shanmugham continued. \u201cI think that models like this and solar energy itself will catch on quickly for private households in India too.\u201d<\/p>\n

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More sun \u2013 less expensive fuel<\/b><\/h5>\n

Not just in India but worldwide, diesel gensets are still being used primarily to supply remote areas with electricity or to supplement unstable grids. The initial investment costs are relatively low, so the decision to use a diesel genset is easy in most cases. However, operating these gensets can be extremely expensive especially in remote areas as you must constantly buy fuel that then has to be transported over long distances to its destination. This is in addition to the fact that the price of conventional energy sources like diesel fuel is constantly on the rise. By contrast, photovoltaics are becoming increasingly more cost-effective, and in sunny regions it is the cheapest form of power generation available today. \u201cSolar power can be used as a replacement for expensive diesel fuel and is generated directly where it is needed in the event of a power outage. It can help businesses become independent and save a lot of money,\u201d said Stieber confidently. \u201cMore and more people all over the world will come to realize that photovoltaics is the best alternative to expensive diesel gensets for an independent electricity supply.\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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So how does a PV diesel hybrid system work?<\/p>\n

en.SMA-Sunny.com\/PV-Diesel<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sun is shining in the glimmering heat. At Raja Shanmugham\u2019s cotton mill, over 20\u2009000 spindles are running at full…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":12401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[647,692,787,788],"class_list":["post-12395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solutions","tag-india","tag-photovoltaics","tag-pv-diesel","tag-sma-fuel-save-controller"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNot just spinning yards - Sunny. 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