In grid connected rooftop small Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) system, the DC (Direct Current) power generated from solar panel is converted to AC (Alternating Current) power using power conditioning unit/Inverter and is fed to the grid. Conversion to AC is desirable as AC is the most commonly used and most preferred electric power for household equipment, office, and buildings, etc. The major use of DC is to supply power to electrical devices and also to charge batteries.
Solar PV Modules/Solar Panels, Inverter, Module mounting structure, Bi-direction Meters, Balance of System.
About 10-12 Sq.mt of shadow-free area is required to set up One kWp Grid Connected Rooftop Solar PV System.
Rooftop SPV systems can be installed on any type of roof having sufficient load bearing capacity.
On a clear sunny day, One kWp solar power plant can generate 4 to 5.5 units in a day.
Saving on electricity bill by the consumer, Utilization of available vacant roof space; no additional land required, Low gestation period, No additional requirement of transmission and distribution (T&D) lines, Long-term energy and ecological security by reduction in carbon emission, Better management of daytime peak loads by DISCOM/ utility.
The current benchmark cost of grid connected rooftop solar systems can be seen in notification section at https://solarrooftop.gov.in/notifications/view.
Central Financial Assistance (CFA) is available only for residential sector grid connected solar rooftop projects. For other sectors e.g. government, institutional, social, commercial, industrial etc., CFA is not available.
Information on state subsidies can be seen on the website of the concerned electricity distribution company. The rooftop solar portals of electricity distribution companies can be assessed at: https://solarrooftop.gov.in/grid_others/discomPortalLink.
India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. About 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India’s land area with most parts receiving 3-5 kWh per sq. m per day. Based upon the availability of land and solar radiation, the potential of solar power in the country has been assessed to be around 750 GW.
National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has estimated a potential of 43 GW for Grid Connected Rooftop Solar in the country.
Government of India has set the target of installing 40,000 MW of Rooftop Solar Power by the year 2022. For State-wise tentative targets, click here.
To know about the details on capacity sanctioned under Phase-II of RTS scheme, click here.
All SPV systems generate power only during daytime when sun is available. In net-metered systems, the generated power is utilized for self-consumption, and excess power is exported to the grid as long as grid is available. In case, where solar power is not sufficient due to cloud cover etc., power is drawn from the grid to power the loads. A bi-directional or net meter records the energy flow in both the directions and at the end of billing period net energy used is calculated. The beneficiary has to pay for only the net energy used.
Connections in net-billing RTS are similar to net-metering. However, at the end of the billing cycle (normally a month) any excess energy in the grid shall not be carried forward like in net metering, but shall be purchased by the DISCOM as per pre-decided tariff. Therefore, energy banking in the grid is only within a billing cycle.
Residential consumers and Group Housing Society can apply for installation of solar rooftop system through the online portal of DISCOMs. The link for the online portal of DISCOMs is https://solarrooftop.gov.in/grid_others/discomPortalLink.