The solar rooftop segment has grown at rapid speed in the last few years and has brought a major change in the solar market landscape.

The rapid expansion of solar rooftop has lead to a potential disruption into existing business models such as the utility-owned rooftop solar model. Over the years the model has gained tremendous traction because of its highly attractive growth opportunities and the financial stability it offers to the investors. Also, the utility companies are in a position to play a key role in assisting the transition to clean energy and play a key role in expanding solar usage and making it available to everyone.

The policymakers and regulators have a critical role in encouraging and regulating the utility-owned rooftop solar model. The respective government should take necessary steps to break down the barriers related to accessing solar energy through a utility-owned rooftop solar model to ensure a cost-effective and easy to use model to increase customer confidence.

Some of the prime advantages of utility-owned rooftop solar are:

  • Financial benefits to both the parties: By allowing utilities to own and operate rooftop solar projects provides significant financial benefits to both utility owners and landowners. The model increases the stakeholder earnings by up to 5% over a period of 10 years when compared to non-utility parties or the conventional ownership structures.
  • Ability to expand to new markets: Utilities companies can easily enter and expand to newer committing on a long-term contract sometimes exceeding ten years or more.
  • Will replace a significant amount of fossil-fuel generation: The utility-owned solar projects will certainly have a prudent and long-term advantage in increasing the adoption of solar usage, eventually having a significant impact in reducing the fossil-fuel generation.
  • Reach new markets and customers: The utility-owned solar can reach customers who have never used solar energy before, as they can by providing on-bill financing schemes. Also, the probabilities of users defaulting the utility companies on the bills are relatively low when compared to conventional owners.
  • Generates earnings for shareholders: As it is owned by the utility companies and not by conventional owners. The capital cost will be part of the utility company’s assets, which will increase the shareholder’s earnings.
  • Installs trust among users: The utility-owned rooftop solar projects will increase the solar usage adoption rates. The user will be more comfortable with Utility companies as they will be confident that the project will run for a longer duration of time.
  • Community solar model: In a Utility-led community solar model, consumers who do not have suitable roof spaces get access to solar energy. In this model, households living in high-rise and multistory buildings can jointly own the solar PV system or sell the solar electricity to other residents at a predetermined tariff rate.
  • Customer education and engagement: Utility companies are considered as a trusted source to educate and engage customer on information related to solar and its benefit. As they have higher customer reach, they can play an important role in encouraging low-income groups to use solar energy and infuse trust in them that it a cost effective model.

Emmvee is one of the premium manufacturer and supplier of solar PV modules with 25+ years of experience. It has over the years built strong expertise in executing RCC rooftop, and curved roofs solar projects.

Some of the rooftop solar projects executed by Emmvee:

  • Emmvee has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Bangalore, India with a production capacity of 500 MW per day. We have manufactured and supplied more than 1.5 GW of photovoltaic modules with a strong record of commissioning more than 200 MW of solar projects in India and across the world.
  • Executed a 700 KWp solar project on a rooftop area of 5600 Sq.m with 2122 solar modules at Balaji Building Technologies, an end-to-end glass solutions company in Bangalore India. The solar rooftop project has an annual energy yield of1.02 million units (approx) and Co2 saving per annum of 818 tonnes (approx).
  • Executed an 1100 KWp rooftop project approximately saving 128 tonnes of co2 at the University of Hyderabad.
  • Executes a 100KWp rooftop solar project using 330 WP polycrystalline modules at Bangalore’s leading International school. The project has an annual energy yield of 0.15 million units (approx.) and CO2 savings of 117 tonnes per annum (approx).
  • Executed a 1MW rooftop solar power plant at Emmvee’s solar water heater manufacturing facility in Dabaspet in Karnataka. The 1.380MW solar power generated from the solar plants is used to manufactured modules and water heater products.
  • A sloped sheet roof project of 1 MWp at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in Kerela 
  • A 200KWp Rooftop Project commissioned at MIDC in Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • A 302KWp Rooftop Project commissioned at Vyline Glass in Baruch, Gujarat
  • A 300KWp Rooftop Project commissioned at Arvind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Coimbatore, Tirnelveli, and Tamil Nadu.