u/Medium-Caregiver-488

Hi Friends, My planned system is a Deye 5kW hybrid inverter with adani 600 to 620wp (according to availability) 8 panels. So it will be 4+4 as the inverter has dual mppt.

Should I go with 4+4, or a single string as I heard the mppt voltage range for deye inverter is 150-425v. So as per my calculation, my 4 panels will theoretically get 162-168v. But when temperature rises, it will be lower than 160 anyway.

So incase if it fell below 150, will the production stop? What are the chances for that to happen?

If i have written anything wrong above, I am happy to get corrected as I just started to learn about solar systems recently. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to install a 5 kW rooftop solar system at my house in Kerala (Kottayam/Ettumanoor area) and I've received two quotations from the same installer.

I'd really appreciate opinions from people who have installed solar recently in Kerala, especially around Kottayam, or people working in the solar industry.

Quotation 1 – Sungrow + Adani

5 kW Sungrow SG5.0RT inverter

Adani Elan Shine TOPCon AG G12R 132 XXX

Panel rating available in this series: 590–620 Wp

N-type TOPCon, dual-glass

5 kW on-grid system

Quoted price: ₹3,40,000 before subsidy

Government subsidy shown separately as ₹78,000

So quoted customer contribution after subsidy would be ₹2.62 lakh, subject to the applicable subsidy process.

Quotation 2 – Growatt + Saatvik

Growatt MIN 2500–6000TL-XH

Saatvik SGE XXX-132 TGG

This is the N-type TOPCon, dual-glass series (around 600–625 Wp depending on the exact model)

5 kW on-grid system

Quoted price: ₹3,40,000 before subsidy

Same ₹78,000 subsidy shown in the quotation.

The quotations also mention some additional charges such as KSEB feasibility application fee, deposit, net meter charges and any additional rooftop structure, which are not included in the ₹3.40 lakh.

What I'm mainly trying to decide

I'm not very knowledgeable about solar, so I'd really like some real-world experience rather than just manufacturer specifications.

1. Adani vs Saatvik panels

Between:

Adani Elan Shine TOPCon AG G12R 132

and

Saatvik SGE 132 TGG TOPCon

which would you choose for a Kerala residential installation?

I'm particularly interested in:

Long-term performance in Kerala's climate

Performance in cloudy/rainy conditions

Heat/humidity resistance

Actual degradation over the years

Build quality of the dual-glass panels

Warranty/service experience

Availability of replacement panels if one gets damaged

Whether there is any meaningful difference between the two in actual generation

I've also seen Emmvee panels being offered by installers in Kerala.

So if anyone has experience with Emmvee vs Saatvik vs Adani, I'd really appreciate your feedback.

2. Sungrow vs Growatt vs Deye

For the inverter, I'm currently looking at:

Sungrow SG5.0RT

Growatt MIN 2500–6000TL-XH

Deye equivalent 5 kW models

How do these compare in terms of:

Reliability

Actual performance

Failure rate

After-sales service in Kerala

Availability of spare parts

Warranty claims

App/monitoring

Service response time

Long-term maintenance

Most importantly, how good is the service availability around Kottayam/Ettumanoor?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have actually had a problem with their inverter and needed warranty/service support.

3. On-grid vs hybrid / battery-ready

Initially, I don't necessarily want to spend money on a battery.

My idea is:

Install solar now → use it as on-grid → add a LiFePO4 battery later if required.

The Growatt MIN 2500–6000TL-XH quotation caught my attention because it is a battery-ready model.

The installer, however, seems to prefer a normal on-grid system and has said that hybrid systems can have more complaints/issues compared with conventional on-grid systems.

For people who have experience with these systems:

Is it better to simply install a good on-grid inverter now and later add a separate battery/inverter system, or is a battery-ready/hybrid inverter worth paying extra for from the beginning?

I'm particularly interested in having backup power during KSEB outages in the future.

I understand that a normal grid-tied inverter shuts down during a power cut, so I'm not expecting backup from the current on-grid system.

4. Is ₹3.40 lakh reasonable?

The installer has quoted ₹3.40 lakh before subsidy for the complete 5 kW installation.

The quotation includes things such as:

Solar panels

Inverter

AC/DC DB

Cables

Earthing

Lightning protection

Mounting structure

Installation

Commissioning

Electrical accessories

But some KSEB-related charges and additional structure/net-meter charges are extra.

For people who installed 5 kW systems in Kerala recently, what price range did you pay before subsidy?

I'm trying to understand whether this quotation is reasonable for the equipment being offered.