The government of India scrapped 30% subsidy on solar thermal installations in 2014, which has impacted the sales of solar equipment.

Pune-based water heater manufacturer Racold Thermo Managing Director V Ramnath said, “In 2014, when the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy stopped the subsidy on solar equipment, Solar Thermal Federation of India (STFI) requested the government to pass on the incentive to consumers directly in the form of property tax and electricity bill rebates, instead of giving us subsidy.”

“The decision taken by the Centre has impacted the industry sales,” Ramnath added. Earlier, consumers used to get 30% discount on purchase, and later, when they installed the product, we needed to approach for reimbursements.”

When asked as to why the government has not implemented the suggestion made by the national association of solar water heater manufacturers STFI, Ramnath said, “As a body, we can request and suggest. The whole machinery has to come into play.”

Meanwhile, Racold Thermo, India’s largest manufacturer and provider of water heating solutions, launched a new range of solar water heaters ‘Alpha Pro’ at Rs 19,000.

 A 200-litre per day Alpha Pro, suitable for a family of 6-8 members, claims to save up to 3,000 units of electricity in a year. Not only does it claim to offer huge monetary savings, but also helps in reducing the carbon footprint for a cleaner, greener India. The company plans to increase the store size to 15,000 from 12,000 in the next 15 months.