Excise duty on PV/Solar panels waived - while LED central excise duty is reduced to 4%.
Allocation for renewable energy increased to 1000 crores. Govt is planning to set a national clean energy fund to target 20000 MW of solar power by 2022.
All is well!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
In defense of design 1
Was consulted by Mr Amar Kohli, Panchsheel on the prohibitive running cost of his Gas fired 389 litre boiler based residential heating system. Tragic - but as I explained to the plumber and to Mr Kohli, there were a number of design weaknesses in his current installation which were responsible for a high running cost of 1 cylinder/day! At Rs.450/- ($10) per day that is almost a whopping $300/- per month expense!!
What were these design weaknesses? Firstly, the pipe dia from the gas geyser to the house was 1" - we normally give a 1/2" design and that means that he was having to cover 4 times the dead-spill water and two times the heat loss! Also, since he was using a circulating pump, the water in the pipe length - my estimate is approx 150' =22 litres! - would pump back in his main tank and then he was mixing approx 2-300 litres of cold water in the tank every 24 hours!
Good engineering is good design and good workmanship combined. I have recommended that he reviews adding a SWHS in a series design so that he feeds hot water into his current system and dramatically slashes his heating costs. And aim at taking the first 20 litres of cold water out into watering his garden/other uses. My current analysis is that with some prudence he can cut down on his heating costs to 20% of the current expense.
Sometimes, money just cannot make up for poor design!
What were these design weaknesses? Firstly, the pipe dia from the gas geyser to the house was 1" - we normally give a 1/2" design and that means that he was having to cover 4 times the dead-spill water and two times the heat loss! Also, since he was using a circulating pump, the water in the pipe length - my estimate is approx 150' =22 litres! - would pump back in his main tank and then he was mixing approx 2-300 litres of cold water in the tank every 24 hours!
Good engineering is good design and good workmanship combined. I have recommended that he reviews adding a SWHS in a series design so that he feeds hot water into his current system and dramatically slashes his heating costs. And aim at taking the first 20 litres of cold water out into watering his garden/other uses. My current analysis is that with some prudence he can cut down on his heating costs to 20% of the current expense.
Sometimes, money just cannot make up for poor design!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Positive Quote
Failure is only postponed success as long as courage "coaches" ambition. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory.
Herbert Kaufman
...From our garden!
Herbert Kaufman
...From our garden!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
My solar water heater
200 LPD Solar Water Heater System, 36 ETC tubes w/o Electric backup at 541/9 Faridabad.
Make: Sudarshan Saur Shakti Pvt Ltd, Aurangabad.
Driven by a will to contribute to a green world, and by a need in a perpetually energy-deficient state, I installed my first 200 LPD SWHS at my 1000 sq yard home in Faridabad.
There were a number of concerns that the family had when I was putting it up:
- it will never work!
- the expense is too high!!!
- I do not want any work in 'my' bathroom
- it won't work in the winters!
...and so on!
A year on, we have crossed the early adptor's pinch.
- yes, the system works. When October had this usual nip in the air, the SWHS was giving me hot water. In fact, we got hot water thru till end December - and only in end Dec- early Jan did we experience the Delhi fog.
- Interestingly, the system gave hot water on the day of the fog. However, it was luke warm the next day ...guess I may have lost about 11 days this season on fog count. Otherwise the system worked - and worked beautifully.
- Others who have installed the system with the electric backup would not even face this glitch.
- the expense is not too high finally. A 200 LPD system installed to cover 3-4 points will save approx 12-16k of geyser cost - and the government subsidy of 4000/- per 100 lpd and DHBVN subsidy of 3600/- per 100 lpd combine to give a 15,200/- capital subsidy. I look at the electricity savings (approx 6000/- in my case) as sheer profit!
My take - Solar Water heaters make eminent sense, specially for new buildings where u can plan the installation and piping from day 1. Matter of time before it spreads all around!!!
There were a number of concerns that the family had when I was putting it up:
- it will never work!
- the expense is too high!!!
- I do not want any work in 'my' bathroom
- it won't work in the winters!
...and so on!
A year on, we have crossed the early adptor's pinch.
- yes, the system works. When October had this usual nip in the air, the SWHS was giving me hot water. In fact, we got hot water thru till end December - and only in end Dec- early Jan did we experience the Delhi fog.
- Interestingly, the system gave hot water on the day of the fog. However, it was luke warm the next day ...guess I may have lost about 11 days this season on fog count. Otherwise the system worked - and worked beautifully.
- Others who have installed the system with the electric backup would not even face this glitch.
- the expense is not too high finally. A 200 LPD system installed to cover 3-4 points will save approx 12-16k of geyser cost - and the government subsidy of 4000/- per 100 lpd and DHBVN subsidy of 3600/- per 100 lpd combine to give a 15,200/- capital subsidy. I look at the electricity savings (approx 6000/- in my case) as sheer profit!
My take - Solar Water heaters make eminent sense, specially for new buildings where u can plan the installation and piping from day 1. Matter of time before it spreads all around!!!
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