Topic
Frequently Asked Questions
Net metering is a billing arrangement that allows home owners like you to send electricity produced from solar panels back to the grid when you’re not using it, or take electricity from the grid when you need it, say in the night or on a rainy day. This allows you to always have power, and yet pay only for the power you use from the grid.
Net Meter keeps track of the net usage, i.e. total energy drawn from the grid, and charges you only for this amount. In cases when you produce more energy than you consume, you’re paid according to the Feed in Tariffs, as defined by your Discom.
For Karnataka, BESCOM has set the Feed-in-tariff at Rs.7.08 per unit, for all projects under 10 kW.
The process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called Photo Voltaic (PV) effect. Solar panels use this technology to produce electricity for your homes using sunlight.
These solar panels installed on your rooftop to produce power are called Photo Voltaic Solar panels.
Solar panels convert sunlight (energy) into voltage (electricity) using Photo Voltaic effect, as explained above. These solar panels are made of a special kind of material, called semi-conductors which have photo-voltaic effect.
Here’s a brief overview of the process -
- Sunlight falls on solar panels to produce DC electricity
- This DC electricity is then passed into the inverter which converts into 240V AC electricity
- This 240V AC electricity is then used to power appliances at home.
No, you don’t need batteries for your solar panels. There are three kind of rooftop solar installations - on-grid, off-grid & hybrid. More on these can be learnt below.
Most widely used systems in urban environments such as Bangalore, Vizag are On-Grid systems, which don’t need a battery set for the solar panels.
The amount of energy that solar panel systems produce are a function of two factors -
- power rating of the panels
- amount of sunlight hitting the panels ( called solar irradiance, for Bengaluru, check here)
Most solar panels have wattage between 250-325 W, which means that each such panel, at full efficiency will be able to produce 250-325 W power, per hour.
As per solar irradiance data for Bengaluru & Vizag, the average hours of full efficiency are anywhere between 4 & 6 on a sunny day.
Thus, if you’ve installed a 3kW system at your house, you can expect an output of 12-18 units (kWh) of electricity production on an average sunny day.
On-Grid solar systems are connected to the utility grid, which has been delivering power to your homes conventionally, such as BESCOM in Bengaluru. As a result, home owners can export excess power produced back to the grid, and import power from the grid if the consumption is lesser than production, say at night or on a windy day.
Pros: These are the simplest & most cost-effective systems to install at your home. These systems would be able to pay for themselves by offsetting your electricity bill in 5-6 years.
Cons: On-grid solar systems only generate power when the utility grid is available. They must be connected to the grid to function. Hence, they won’t provide power incases of power cuts.
Off-grid systems are not connected to the utility grid; instead, they are connected to batteries which store excess power, which is used in the event of non-production, say in the night. These systems can use only as much power as they produce.
Hybrid systems generate power in the same way as On-Grid systems, but use batteries for saving excess power for later use. These systems can operate even during power cuts.
These systems are expensive owing to high costs of batteries, and in-efficient because of loss of power during storage.
Your roof-top solar project would include the following components -
- Solar PV module
- Grid Tied Inverter
- Module Mounting structures
- Junction Boxes, DCDB and Net-Metering
- Cable and other related accessories
- Additional Steel for raised structures
The price of installing a solar power panel is dependent on your requirements. There are two types of solar panel installations, On Grid and Off Grid. On Grid solar systems are connected to the utility network and hence do not need a battery to store the power generated. Whereas in Off Grid systems, you would need to invest into a battery to store the solar power.
These are the primary components of the cost of installing a solar panel system:
- Solar PV module
- Grid Tied Inverter
- Module Mounting structures
- Junction Boxes, DCDB and Net-Metering
| Plant Capacity | 1-KW | 2-KW | 5-KW |
| Energy generated per year (in kWh) | 1500 | 3000 | 7500 |
| Average energy consumed per year in a 2BHK House | 2400 kWh | ||
| Energy exported per year (in kWh) | -900 | 600 | 5100 |
| Annual savings in electricity bill (in Rs) | 10,500 | 16,800 | |
| Earnings from Energy Exported (in Rs) | 0 | 2,100 | 17,850 |
| Total Annual Return (savings+exports) (in Rs) | 10,500 | 18,900 | 34,650 |
Assumption:
Average energy consumed per household is 200 units per month at Rs 7 per unit.
Power is purchased by BESCOM at Rs 3.50 per unit.
Easy financing options are available from any of the major banks in India.
The following are the terms generally provided by Banks in India:
For Individuals
Loan Amount Limits: Up to ₹25 Lakh or 85% of project cost (whichever is lower)
Interest Rate:
Home loan top up: ~9%
General: 10.65%
Women: 10.15%
For Commercial Sites, Factories, Colleges or Hospitals
Loan Amount Limits: Up to ₹1.5 Crore or 80% of project cost (whichever is lower)
Interest Rate
Upto ₹25 Lakh: 10.65%
More than ₹25 Lakh: starting at 9.5%
For Housing Societies
Loan Amount Limits: Up to ₹1.5 Crore or 80% of project cost (whichever is lower)
Interest Rate
General: 10.65%
The state and central government provide tax benefits and subsidies to promote solar energy.
Consumers are eligible for a 30% subsidy from the central government. It is mandatory to use MNRE approved Indian and/or value segment and inverters to avail the subsidy.
A 1-KW solar panel system generates on an average of 4 kWh or 4 Units per day. Which translates to 120 units per month.
Do check your electricity bill to check what is your usage. If your usage is 600 units per month,
Power of Solar Panel System = Monthly usage/120 = 600/120 = 5-KW system.
Try and optimize your own energy consumption. Check the equipment in your house and see if you can switch them to higher energy efficient version. Bulbs can be traded in for LEDs. Check your appliances for their energy star rating.
To install a 1-KW solar power panel system, you would need 100 sq ft of shade free space, preferably on your rooftop.
Check your electricity bill, to find the amount of units that you consume every month. If you divide that number by 120, you would get the number of KWs that you would need.
When you choose to work with RED Solar, you do not need to worry about servicing and maintenance, as we provide free maintenance for 5 years.
We will consult with you to arrive at the ideal solution for your requirements. We will give you a free quote based on your energy usage and after visiting your home for a site inspection.
AgreementYou’ll secure predictable solar costs for years to come depending on your payment option. No hidden fees or worries thanks to our incredible warranty.
System Design:We’ll visit your home to examine your roof and take measurements. Then, our engineers will design a custom system to meet your energy needs.
InstallationMost solar installations take one day. Our solar concierge handles everything from permits to inspections.
ActivationOnce the utility gives approval, you can start generating your own clean, renewable energy.
These are the following milestones for solar panel installation process:
a. Document Collection and BESCOM Feasibility Process
Time Taken: 2 Weeks
b. Installation of Solar Panel, Inverter and Mounting Structure
Time Taken: 4 Weeks
c. Net Metering Synchronization
Time Taken: 1 Week
d. Monthly System Maintenance, Insurance and Guarantee
Time Period: 5 Years from Installation
The following are the best solar panel brands in India:
- Vikram Solar
- Goldi Green Technologies
- Tata Power Solar Systems
- Trina Solar
- Canadian Solar
The top On-Grid inverter brands in India:
- Delta
- SMA
- ABB
- KACO
- Sungrow
RED Solar provides free monthly maintenance of the solar panel system for a period of 2 years.
The following are the warranties provided by RED Solar:
- Full System Warranty: 5 Years
- Solar Panel Output Warranty: 25 Years
- Inverter Warranty: 5 Years
- Full System Insurance: 5 Years
- Free monthly insurance: 5 Years
You would not need to do much to maintain the solar panels. The photovoltaic cells in solar panels are very robust and low maintenance.
It is recommended to clean the panels once every month. You would not need to do that, as it would be included as part of our free monthly maintenance.
In order for RED Solar to process any referral fees to you, we'll need your contact information, & bank account details.
No. The more people you refer to RED Solar, the more you can earn.
When your referral becomes a RED Solar customer, you'll receive your first payment within 4 weeks after their completion of the project.
You'll get an automatic email notification from us as soon as your referral becomes a RED Solar customer. You can also call our toll free number and consult with our Solar Heroes anytime at 1800-123-2720 if you’ve any queries.
It’s simple. Just write us an email with your referral’s full name, email address & phone number. Any additional information would be also helpful.
Alternately, you could fill in the contact us form on the Referrals page and our team will get in touch with them.
Well, if any of them becomes a RED Solar customer, you’ll earn upto Rs.10,000/-.
As soon as your referral becomes a RED Solar customer, we’ll confirm the same with you. Within 4 weeks of the project’s completion with your referral, we’ll disburse the referral reward of Rs.10,000/-.
Simply pick up your phone & call 1800-123-2720 and our Solar Heroes will help you with the exact status of your referral with us. Alternately, you could shoot us a mail at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you promptly.
If there's something we didn't address above, please reach out to [email protected] and our Solar Heroes will be in touch with you to help with any questions or concerns.
Upon receiving information about your referral, someone from our team of Solar Heroes will get in touch with them, and discuss their requirements to establish a mutual fit. After this, they’ll setup a meeting in person & a site visit to walk them through our offerings & discuss the best way forward.
If the referral chooses to work with RED Solar, we’ll notify you of the same via an email.
Of course, you’re welcome to join our Heroes in their meetings & site visits to help them discover the best way to switch to Solar Power.
Please visit redsolar.in for information about our products and services. If you'd like specific marketing material or collateral, email [email protected]