By Vvon Engineering Team | Published | Updated
Map factory, housing, office and pumping loads across a tea estate, then compare metering, terrain, routes and backup needs.
Solar EPC & street lighting RFQ checklist (TXT)
A tea estate can include a factory, irrigation, worker housing and offices across a wide area. Map the separate loads and connections before choosing where generation should sit.
| Estate load | Assessment focus |
|---|---|
| Factory | Seasonal withering, processing and electrical auxiliaries. |
| Pumping | Water demand, head and permitted abstraction. |
| Housing | Evening use, autonomy and ownership. |
| Office | Actual daytime demand and connection. |
| Backup | Defined services, interruptions and existing generator. |
Housing and factory demand may have different timing and different accounts. Log them separately and confirm the permitted connection arrangement before pooling their energy value.
Use the estate's flush calendar and fan/process records to establish demand. Assess roof condition and the exact sheet profile; an approved standing-seam clamp must not be assumed to work on ordinary corrugated roofing.
Two qualifications on that roof. First, a tea factory is a humid building with heat and moisture rising through it, so the underside condition of the sheeting and the state of the fixings need inspecting rather than assuming. Second, factories sit in the middle of the estate, which usually means mature shade trees close by. Tree shading is the one shading source that gets worse every year, so the shadow analysis has to model the trees at their likely future height and the string layout has to be arranged so that a shaded corner does not drag a whole string down.
Do not assume that an array behind one estate meter can cancel bills on another. Confirm any proposed sharing or allocation with the utility under the applicable agreement; the default financial model should follow the approved connection.
Compare a central array with distributed arrays using cable capacity, voltage drop, protection, routes, terrain and metering. Neither layout is universally cheaper or technically better.
Size irrigation from measured pumping level, total head and seasonal water demand. A solar array size cannot establish replacement of a particular horsepower pump or monthly fuel saving.
Direct solar pumping may operate without a grid connection or battery where its delivery meets demand. Confirm water rights and other applicable approvals, and size any tank for the required service rather than assuming it covers every cloudy period.
A housing scheme needs a load inventory, service level, battery autonomy if used, distribution design and replacement budget. Number of dwellings alone does not establish kWp or kWh.
Housing schemes fail for social reasons more often than technical ones. The load grows: households add fans, televisions and small appliances, and a bank sized against today's usage is flat by the third year. Fit distribution boards with per-block metering or simple load limiters, agree in advance who is responsible for replacing a failed component, and put the batteries somewhere ventilated, secure and reachable for maintenance. None of that is expensive at design stage and all of it is expensive later.
Identify the utility/PBS from each account and obtain its current requirements. Standalone pumping does not use net metering, but still requires appropriate electrical, water-source and site approvals.
Consult the relevant edition and the documents for the exact equipment and site: Power Division / SREDA: Net Metering Guidelines 2025, English; FAO: benefits and groundwater risks of solar-powered irrigation; US Department of Energy: battery energy storage procurement checklist; IEA PVPS: operation and maintenance in different climates.
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