The ongoing increases in basic electricity rates and charges per unit of electricity have made it extremely difficult for the average Pakistanis household to afford their monthly electricity bills. With such tight budgets, it’s no longer an option, but a must to make the switch to clean solar energy. A 3 Kilowatt (3kW) solar power system is a perfect and practical investment option for homeowners with medium to small electricity usage between 300 to 350 units per month.
Prior to upgrading, the majority of consumers want to factor in the current 3kW solar system cost, see the extensive range of appliances it can power and work out how much they will save on their monthly electric bill with net metering.
Complete Appliance List: What Can a 3kW Setup Run?
A 3kW solar system is designed to run a 3,000w continuous electrical load. This enables the running of all basic and essential household appliances concurrently or sequentially over a period of sunlight hours.
Installing a good solar inverter along with Tier-1 panels enables you to run:
Inverter Air Conditioner (AC): If other high powerful appliances are turned off, then you can simply operate the 1 ton inverter AC system using solar power in the daytime without any worries.
Refrigerator / Inverter Fridge: It can be used 24*7 without any lag and outage during operation in a standard home refrigerator.
Fans & LED Lighting: Can run 4-5 energy efficient or DC inverter fans and 8-10 LED bulbs throughout the house at the same time.
Water Pump (0.5 HP Motor): The common 0.5 HP water suction pump can be used during the day though it is strongly recommended that the AC be turned off during the water pumping.
Everyday Consumer Electronics: LCD TV, several laptops, a wireless router, and smart gadgets/mobile chargers are powered without any trouble.
Market Estimate: Understanding the 3kW Solar System Price
The local market for solar panels and photovoltaic (PV) inverters has experienced a consistent drop in prices in recent months, making these innovative renewable energy solutions much more affordable for the average household with moderate income levels. The market rates for a premium tier 3kW solar system in Pakistan range from Rs. 320,000 and Rs. 450,000.
All the hardware and deployment costs are covered in this overall price range:
Solar Panels: About 5-6 of the good quality High output 550W+ Tier-1 solar panels from reputable manufacturers such as Longi, Jinko, Canadian Solar etc.
Solar Inverter: A 3kW solar hybrid/inverter from reputable brands like Nitrox, Inverex or Crown.
Heavy duty Galvanized Iron (GI) roof top mounting structures with specialized outdoor grade AC/DC wiring.
Professional Installation: Technical services for system mapping, structural fitting and electronic commissioning are offered by certified engineers and are of a technical nature.
But it is important to note that, if you want to store energy by having a deep cycle lead acid or lithium ion battery and keep it charged even at night, the additional hardware costs will add another Rs. to the overall cost. 80,000 to Rs. 150,000.
Net Metering Integration and Monthly Electricity Bill Savings
A 3kW solar system produces an average of 12-14 clean units of electricity every day depending on the weather conditions and solar irradiance in different parts of the country in Pakistan. The cumulative monthly production amount corresponds to 360 to 420 units of green energy.
Installing a standard On-Grid setup and establishing a bidirectional net metering relationship with the local electricity distribution company (EDC) (ESCO, LESCO, K-Electric or FESCO) under NEPRA, allows you to safely send electricity generated during the day back to the EDC. This generation capacity will be able to save the electricity bill by Rs. per month at the current tariff rate. 15,000 to Rs. 22,000. After that, your initial financial investment will be recovered within a short time of 2 to 2.5 years, and the main solar panels will still be under structural performance warranties for 25 years.
