This must have been about 5 months back, when we came to know that a prestigious college in Chennai had put up a rooftop solar power plant.

Naturally, we were interested to know more and paid a visit to the college.

Overall, it appeared to be a reasonably good job done. But when we started digging into the details, things started unraveling. The college surely appeared to have paid a lot more than they should have for the 50 kW system. The inverter make was unheard of, prompting concerns whether it will last even 5 years, and even that, at what efficiency? […]

I was a speaker at the recently concluded InterSolar conference at Mumbai.

My topic of presentation was the use of solar for reduction of diesel used in backup power generators.

During my speech, I briefly mentioned that the cost of solar power from rooftop solar is only Rs 3.5-4 per unit.

Boy, did that create a storm!

Once my speech was over, at least a dozen guys from the audience confronted me – or should I say challenged me – to prove that the cost was Rs 3.5 per unit. They were all hearing that solar power from rooftop costs anywhere between Rs 8-10 […]

So you thought going solar was for those companies keen on cutting energy costs.

You are right, and wrong.

Sure, go solar to get security for your energy bills for the foreseeable future – 25 years to be precise.

But there is another important reason to go solar – and that is to differentiate yourself from your competitors, and to show to your clients and customers that your business stands for sustainability and responsibility.

Am I saying that those silly solar panels on your rooftop could set you apart as a responsible enterprise and make your brand stronger?

Yes, I do precisely mean that.

Let me […]

You know what?

The talk about rooftop solar power being expensive is all bunkum.

And I will show you why.

Let us consider having a rooftop solar power plant. I am considering a grid-tied rooftop solar power plant, a system that does not have a battery included. Why am I not including a battery? Simple – very few, if any medium or large scale rooftop solar installations can afford batteries even if they need them. So, let’s not complicate matters here.

OK, to repeat, we are talking about grid-tied rooftop solar power plant.

All that are required for such a grid-tied solar power plant are […]

When I talk about solar power to top management in industrial and commercial enterprises, many of them wish to know whether they can use solar power from their rooftops to completely eliminate the use of grid.

 Recently, EAI consulted for a software company in Chennai installing a 80 kW solar power plant on its 1000 sqm rooftop. The company’s aim was to have complete independence from the grid for all their non-AC requirements, comprising about 35% of their total load.

I come across many other companies having a similar need. I hence thought it would be good to have a detailed post […]

Most industrial and commercial establishments in India are today aware of the promise of rooftop solar as a potential component in their power mix.

As discussed in other posts, while rooftop solar today cannot take care of all the power requirements of a typical industrial or commercial unit, EAI’s work with prospects in the commercial/institutional (hotels, hospitals, colleges) and in the industrial sectors have shown that rooftop solar can replace anywhere between 20-70% of power requirements. The lighter your individual power load requirements, the higher the % replacement potential from solar.

Let’s look at the math to understand the reason for this […]