Not enough takers for solar rooftops in Bengaluru

Bengaluru has good opportunities to harness solar power, yet some hurdles exist. What are they?

Bengaluru: The owners’ association of Pavani Divine Apartment in Whitefield used to pay Rs 1.9 lakh per month as the common area energy bill for 165 residential units in its two blocks.

It achieved a unique fete recently: The power bill is zero, courtesy of rooftop solar plants. Instead, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has started paying them a small sum of Rs 2,000 per month to the Association.

“We have estimated an amount of Rs 60,000-70,000 once the project is complete,” says Pavan Kumar, a member of the Pavani Divine Apartment Association, who was instrumental in implementing the project.

Interest towards solar energy in Bengaluru has seen an uptick, as it is the state’s capital and has a larger number of housing units and commercial establishments. The facility to connect it to the local power grids, installation of the net metering system and getting paid for the excess power generated have made the idea of using terraces to generate electricity lucrative.

An internal note from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) shows that there were 6,11,000 enrollments from Karnataka under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme. Out of this, 1.7 lakh applications are from Bengaluru alone.

“Solar rooftop power plants make consumers self-sustainable, at least during the daytime. Excess energy is exported to the power grid, which the BESCOM utilises to cater to power demand elsewhere. With the increasing power demand, every unit of power produced matters,” says an official from BESCOM.

Challenges

Until now, only 2.07 lakh people have applied for solar rooftop installation in Karnataka out of the 6 lakh applications. 

Even though there is a steady growth in the installation of solar rooftop plants in the commercial and industrial sectors, the residential sector is lagging because it is a cross-subsidised consumer category. The return on investment for the residential category is also high owing to the capital cost. 

To address this challenge, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijali Yojana now provides a subsidy of Rs 30,000/kW for the first 2 kilowatts of power and Rs 18,000 for every subsequent kilowatt. Resident welfare associations and group housing societies get Rs 18,000/kW for common facilities up to 500 kW. 

Return on investment is a fear the consumers face. However, with the advent of newer technologies, the period required for a return on investment has been reduced.

“With this, the capital cost has come down, and more people are coming forward to get solar rooftop plants installed,” says the official.

About 5,690 households have seen solar installations in Bengaluru, according to BESCOM officials. The cumulative capacity commissioned under the state is about 600 MW.

There is another major hindrance to the adaptation of solar plants. “In Bengaluru, we do not need much energy for air conditioning, etc, as our temperature is moderate. So the household consumption does not exceed 200 units in many houses. The promise of free electricity for up to 200 units has stopped many from applying for the subsidy and installing solar plants,” says a source.

“For this reason, the BESCOM should only target apartment clusters, commercial buildings and government buildings,” says R Rajagopalan, Convener of the Bengaluru Residents Welfare Association. He feels Bengaluru has 22 lakh individual homes, which offer a secondary opportunity for rooftop power generation.

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme, or the National Portal for Rooftop Solar, has a centralised application system for registering and availing the subsidy, subject to certain conditions.

Once people register in the portal https://www.pmsuryaghar.gov.in/ applicable fees are collected online. All applications under the scheme up to 150 kW capacity are given Power Purchase Agreements and net metering agreements in online mode.

Solar power for apartments

So, how does an apartment go about getting solar energy?

“We had to identify vendors, complete the feasibility study, and test the building for structural stability. We chose double-sided solar panels for better efficiency,” Pavan Kumar explains the preparation stage. 

Older buildings may require reinforcement to support solar panel weight. Therefore, the structural stability test becomes important.

When the project started, transporting materials to the terrace became a challenge. “We got the materials lifted through cranes onto the terrace, though a height of 90 feet,” he adds.

Pavan Kumar says his association did not avail of any solar subsidy, but only signed a power purchase agreement with BESCOM. 

“The subsidy is given only for the projects that have solar panels made in India, which are less efficient. Another condition for subsidy is that there should be only one metre for the entire common area, but we have four such metres for four common areas,” he adds.

Return on investment (ROI) largely depends on the financing models, including loans from public sector banks. If the capital is not a loan, getting the ROI is faster. 

“We collected Rs 55,000 per apartment to finance the project. We save  Rs 1.9 lakh per month as the power bill now,” he says. The installation of sensor-based lighting has further optimised power usage and reduced power consumption.

Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, a resident of Thalaghattapura, says the government should make it mandatory for buildings to install solar rooftop systems. BESCOM does have a rule that water heaters are required for multi-dwelling buildings in an area of more than 1200 sqft, but nobody is bothered about its implementation.

He explains an instance where he tried complaining to BESCOM regarding this against the builder who did not install solar panels. “BESCOM closed the complaint, saying there was no space on the terrace,” he adds.

“The PM Surya Ghar portal and BESCOM process/site integration had teething issues for months. Vendor selection or ratings are still not up and running. There should be vendor ratings based on long-duration after-sales service on the website. Otherwise, how does a common man know and choose?” asks Rajagopalan. 

“Lots of basic knowledge is yet to be shared; RWAs and apartments should have been aggressively targeted,” he adds.

“ROI on a 3-kilowatt unit must be widely advertised, and more incentives should be offered. The link to the solar water heater and connection approval were good triggers. A similar 1-kilowatt limit minimum could be considered,” he adds, suggesting improvements to the system.

Pratham K, a developer based in Bengaluru, says many are unaware of the benefits and feasibility of rooftop solar, and there is a lack of information as well. Misinformation about efficiency and maintenance costs discourages adoption. He adds that some people opt for diesel generators or UPS systems due to concerns about solar reliability.

Solar power generation on residential rooftops is yet to catch up in the city but Pavani Divine is one of the many apartments that took to solar power for common areas.

Rooftop solar panels atop a building in Electronic City.