Image source: Newsmobile.in

Hyderabad, also known as the city of pearls, is one of the most economically flourishing cities in India. Reputed as a global hub for trade in the past, the city has grown to become the largest contributor to Telangana State’s GDP.

In the past decade, Hyderabad has become a host to some of Silicon Valley’s biggest global technology companies such as Google, Amazon, Deloitte, Infosys, Facebook to name a few; and has become a leading IT hub with a number of emerging start-ups, SMEs and MSMEs. The city is also home to a number of manufacturing industries, such as automobiles and auto parts manufacturing, textiles, apparel, and pharmaceutical.

The Rising Energy Demand in Hyderabad, Telangana

Due to the emergence of new-age businesses and industries in the city and the continuous power supply to the agricultural and industrial sectors; the power demand has only risen in the city and state of Telangana.

The per capita consumption of electricity in Telangana is around 1,507 units which is much higher than the all India per capita consumption of 1,122 units. In fact, just recently the state of Telangana registered its highest ever peak power demand of 10,429 MW in July 2018.

Furthermore, the state offers free 24x7 power supply to its agricultural sector and has curtailed the number of power cuts faced by residents of the state and its thriving capital.

The Solar Potential of Hyderabad, Telangana

As per a joint study conducted by Greenpeace and the Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) - Hyderabad ranks only second in solar energy generation potential with 1,730 MW, behind New Delhi which has a generation potential of 2GW. This clearly showcases immense potential for expansion and market penetration for solar companies in Hyderabad.

Of Telangana's current target of installing 5000 MW solar capacity, the city of Hyderabad alone will contribute 34% of the total capacity addition. At the current pace, the city can emerge as the leading city when it comes to renewable energy in India.

Prominent businesses and institutions in Hyderabad have already started their move to solar. A perfect example is Amazon, which recently installed close to 1600 kW of solar panels at its fulfilment centres in Hyderabad and Delhi.

Why should Businesses switch to Solar Energy in Hyderabad, Telangana?

There are already growing environmental concerns, as Hyderabad is reported to have the highest annual Particulate Matter (PM) levels amongst Telangana's eleven districts and cities. Hyderabad has emerged as one of the leading tech and business hubs in the country, home to a growing ecosystem of SMEs and MSMEs and mainlining Solar Power in Hyderabad will only add to the city’s growth. While traditional forms of electricity generated via thermal power plants can meet the growing energy demand, this will eventually come at a great cost to businesses, not to mention the environment. Apart from environmental concerns, going solar can help businesses save millions on inflated electricity bills.

Let’s take an example - if a typical metal structure manufacturing company in Hyderabad consumes around 3,80,000 units a month, the monthly electricity bills as per the current commercial rates can go up to approximately INR 29,86,800/- By opting for solar energy, the bill amount can be greatly reduced to INR 3,30,000 - a direct saving of up to 88%!

Below is detailed solar scorecard on the businesses’ estimated savings as projected by the MYSUN Solar Calculator:

As you can see, there is indeed great potential to save with solar for large scale businesses in Hyderabad. In addition to the financial benefits; installing a rooftop solar system can increase property value, ensure return on investment and provide peace of mind for the next 25 years. Not to forget the leadership position that you and your company could take by making the move.

If you are business or an industry owner in Hyderabad, it is time for you to look towards rooftop solar as an alternative solution and say goodbye to steep electricity bills.

MYSUN is one of the top Solar Companies in Telangana. Calculate your businesses’ personalized solar savings with the MYSUN solar calculator and start your solar journey today.

Image source – Proptiger

Telangana is one of the youngest states in India. But when it comes to solar power it can be seen as one of the eldest and most influential. Yes, Telangana, a state born after separation from Andhra Pradesh on June 2nd, 2014 has been a prominent player in the solar segment. In India’s crusade to get the nation solarized, Telangana is the second largest state when it comes to solar energy generation with a capacity of 3400 MW and a rooftop solar installed achievement of 14,449 kWp.

The dark days seen by Telangana are no secret. Severe power crisis which dominated the region before its separation had always narrowed growth and prosperity in the region. However, within nine months of creation not only did the state overcome its power deficiency by significant capacities but also gained the confidence to become an energy surplus state by harnessing solar energy.

Leading India’s Solar Mission:

In the collective mission to harness solar energy as the core source of power in India, Telangana plans to achieve solar energy capacity of 5000 MW by 2022. Getting close to its target, the state has already achieved 68% of the total set capacity and the rate of solar adoption has only been increasing.

As per recent media reports, the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) has announced to augment 45 MW of rooftop solar energy capacity this year 2018-19. In order to nail the target, TSREDCO plans to encourage individuals and institutions to set up rooftop solar systems for individual utilization and supply excess generation to the grid. This inclination towards rooftop solar power by the govt. of Telangana is seeing a positive rebound from various government and non-government institutions.

Rooftop Solar Potential in the State:

The state has one of the highest solar generation potentials in the country and it is estimated that Hyderabad alone has a power generation potential of 1730 MW through rooftop solar systems. With such high potential, an investment in rooftop solar in the state can only prove to be a profitable proposition.

By going solar with MYSUN, one stands a chance to save up to 70%* on their monthly electricity bills. In addition, MYSUN also offers solar finance and operation and maintenance offerings such as MYSUN Flexi-Pay and MYSUN care - a 25-year service guarantee.

Favourable Solar Policy in the State:

The ease of transformation to solar can also be seen in the state’s solar policy as the state govt. assures reasonable benefits for opting for rooftop solar. While the detailed policy can be read here - Telangana Solar Policy, some of the key pointers from the policy are as follow:

1. The policy has allowed the cumulative capacity of all rooftop Solar PV systems under the Net Metering Arrangement to up to 50% of the rated capacity of the local distribution transformer.

2. Policy allows C&I customer to install a rooftop solar system up to 80% of the sanctioned load to a maximum of 1 MW. However, for a residential customer system size can go as high as 100% of the sanctioned load.

3. For system size greater than 75 kWp, approval from the Chief Electrical Inspector to the Government (CEIG) is required, who shall then test and certify the safety and protection within Fifteen (15) working days from the date of receipt of the information.

Why Consumers and Business Owners should Go Solar in the State:

With great progress and zeal towards solar energy in the state, we believe there can be no better time for people and industries in Telangana to begin availing the benefits of solar energy. With growing environmental concerns, solar energy empowers us to reduce dependency on non-renewable sources of energy, providing added benefits of reduced electricity costs.

The reason to go solar for business and individuals in the state is also that of the ever increasing power demand in the state. As per a recent media report by Business Standard, Telangana leads southern Indian states in demand for power consumption. In Fact, the per capita consumption in the state is 33%, which is even higher than the national average. While in August the state had a record-breaking power consumption of 10,429 MW, this demand owing to the high requirements from the industry, agriculture and households sectors with 30% contribution from each is only expected to grow multifold. And, in terms of individual requirements, energy consumption of businesses are obviously high.

This is why business in the state have already started switching to solar energy. In fact, State Bank of India, the largest public sector bank in the country, recently started installing rooftop solar systems across all the branches and offices in the state and is now looking at saving Rs 1.51 crore annually on its electricity bill. With rooftop solar systems installed in all branches and offices of the bank across the country the bank would be saving Rs 30 crore annually. Below is the announcement made by the bank. The detailed announcement can be read here.

The financial benefits of adopting solar energy over grid electricity has been observed in other states of the country as well. For example, a MYSUN customer who is also a business owner in Maharashtra is earning savings of more than 68% in its monthly electricity bills by going solar. The detailed case study of this customer can be read here - MYSUN Maharashtra Industrial Case Study. A similar example is a resident of Nirvana Country in Gurgaon who has reduced the monthly electricity bills by significant amounts and is earning saving of 75% by going solar. Read the details of the savings here of this customer - MYSUN Gurgaon Residential Case Study.

Therefore, if you are in Telangana there can be no better time to go solar than now. You can check the financial and non-financial estimates of benefits that you would avail by going solar in seconds by running the MYSUN Solar Calculator.

Conclusion

As evident the sun has been shining brightly on Telangana and the state’s efforts are clearly seen through its commendable results. While there still is a long way to go for Telangana to become a fully sustainable energy driven hub, its ingenious outlook towards solar along with individual participation can very well lead to the state to become a leader in Solar. If you are a house or a business owner in Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Ramagundam or any other city in Telangana and are eager to increase your savings for the next 25 years, click on the below button to schedule a site survey today.

Image Source: Culture Trip

Tamil Nadu is all set to roll out its 2018 solar policy. The state which stands 5th in installed solar capacities in India is forging ahead with all new determination to help the country achieve its target of 100GW of installed solar capacity by 2022. The policy draft, released by Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency, which currently seeks public solicitation aims to create a framework that enables an accelerated development of solar energy in the state. Let’s take a look at the key pointers and highlight from the draft below:

1. The state aims to make solar energy the main source of energy. With this vision, the state will have an installed solar generation capacity of 8,884 MW by the year 2022 of which 40% will be met by consumer scale solar energy generators.
2. An ecosystem will be established with clear and transparent policy governance to facilitate solar power deployment and encourage solar system adoption by consumers. For the same, a single window system for technical, funding and project clearance support will be established.
3. Penalties specified by Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) shall be enforced on the DISCOM in case of failure to comply with the RPO mandates.
4. In the case of distribution licensees, the solar energy fed into the grid will be purchased by the distribution licensee at the prevailing solar energy tariff as determined by the TNERC or a tariff determined by a bidding process.
5. TNERC shall determine a dedicated solar energy storage feed-in tariffs which shall be designed to incentivize solar energy export to the grid at peak demand hours.
6. Building type that requires being Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC)-compliant will follow ECBC compliance guidelines for the installation of Solar PV and Solar Thermal energy systems. The Directorate of Town and Country Planning in collaboration with local bodies shall amend their building by-laws to mandate ECBC.
7. All public buildings will be mandated to meet 30% of their energy requirements from solar energy, streetlights, and water supply installation of Corporations, Municipalities and Local Urban Bodies are mandated to meet 30% of their energy requirements from solar energy and all State Government Departments shall replace 10% of their existing vehicle fleet with solar powered, electric vehicles by 2022.
8. Solar energy will be exempted from electricity tax, grid connectivity, open access, wheeling, and banking and cross-subsidy charges.
9. Property tax abatement shall be provided by Corporations, municipalities and local urban bodies to the domestic building that installs consumer scale solar energy systems.
10. Suitable incentive schemes will be designed to promote solar energy generation in the agricultural sector and to promote the co-utilization of land for solar energy projects, crop cultivation, and rainwater harvesting.
11. Solar energy imported by the distribution licensee from non-obligated solar energy producers (including electricity consumers with gross or net feed-in facilities) can be claimed by the distribution licensee towards the fulfillment of their renewable energy purchase obligations (RPO).
12. The government will promote manufacturing of solar energy components in the state and land for the same will be identified. A single window process for all departmental approvals, including a set time limit for each approval, will also be designed.
13. April 2019 onwards, new service connection meters shall be configured for energy recording and display so that all new service connections and existing service connections for which the meters are replaced in the normal course of maintenance are ready for effecting solar energy net metering at any time in the future.
14. The billing system will be updated and enhanced by the distribution licensee such that relevant details pertaining to solar gross feed-in and net feed-in are included in the electricity consumers bills.
15. The billing data of each consumer will be made available online by DISCOMs along with along with a sample bill explaining the various billing components above.
16. The online application for gross feed-in and net feed-in will be promoted by the distribution licensee. The status of applications received for net-metering, both offline and online, will be displayed online by the licensee.
17. All public and private schools in the state will be mandated to introduce curriculum on energy and environment into the syllabus of 9th standard students and higher education institutions will be mandated to host an annual energy and environment day to create awareness about climate change and the benefits of renewable energy as a climate mitigation strategy.
18. The state will facilitate research and development in the solar energy sector.

The policy once effective would remain valid for the next five years unless suspended or modified by other government policy and will be monitored by the government annually to evaluate actual results against the policy objectives and added targets.

Tamil Nadu has one of the highest installed solar capacities in the country. In 2017 the state had solar installations with a cumulative capacity of 1,720 MW and has over 2000 MW of solar projects lined up for the calendar year 2018. Above this, the vision of the policy to create a sustainable future with solar energy clearly testifies Tamil Nadu’s determination to become a leader in solar energy.  The policy has laid needed emphasis on the need to create education about the benefits of solar energy. It also takes into account the easy transformation process for consumers and ease of doing business for businesses along with transparency in the processes.

If you have been following our blog, our Interesting ways the world is using solar is a series where we feature the most innovative solar applications. We have featured boats, robots, roads in the past and this time we are back with solar paints. Yes, you read that right. It is now possible that without even installing a solar panel that you can enjoy solar benefits. This magic is performed by solar paint.

What is Solar Paint? The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, has developed a solar paint that can generate power for your house/office. As per the researchers of the institute, the solar paint will generate power from the radiation from the sun and water vapor present in the air. While this technology is, of course, nascent, it is great to see more avenues open for utilization of the abundant solar energy.

But, you must be wondering how solar paint works exactly? The compound of the solar paint carries a chemical compound called synthetic molybdenum-sulphide. When this compound meets titanium oxide, a commonly used material in wall paints, it transforms normal wall paint into sunlight-absorbing machinery which then acts as a semiconductor and splits the water molecules present in the air into Hydrogen and Oxygen. This hydrogen extracted from the air is then used as a fuel to generate power.

This Solar Paint Technology when available in the open market would create all new possibility of harnessing solar energy.  By just applying paint we will be able to turn any physical surface into an energy harvesting facility. This opens up a whole new avenue for solar applications such as Solar Paint for houses. Going ahead this may very well be applied to electric cars as well as a source of power for them.

However, a few questions about the feasibility of the solar paint remain unanswered. Like what will be the price of this paint. Response to rooftop solar installers has already been hesitant because of high prices. Now with reducing prices over a few years and innovative business models coming in, some traction in the market is finally building.

Apart from price, durability, energy generation capacity and its applicability on the rooftops and otherwise remain a curious concern and it will be interesting to find out how the paint adopts to them. Due to this, widespread adoption of Solar paint in India seems a possibility in the long run.

For now, all we can say is solar is rapidly revolutionizing the way we consume electricity and innovations like solar paints, solar clothes, solar bicycles, solar rooftop tiles, solar roadways, solar-powered boats and solar tuk-tuk are a peek into the future of energy consumption and a testimony of its positive adoption.