Off-grid solar systems and products dominate the residential segment beyond urban India

Highlighting the trends in off-grid solar systems, Shubhaang Gupta, Director of Solar Universe India, explains how their innovations and economical offerings are making them a prominent solar company in the residential segment.
How are current energy trends influencing India’s demand for Off-grid solar systems?
The availability of energy in a given region determines society’s standard of living and progress. As the penetration of grid electricity increases and reaches tier 3 and 4 cities, there will be a slight fall in demand for smaller off-grid products such as solar lamps and torch lights. Still, the need for other off-grid products such as solar panels, batteries, inverters, and charge controller units will increase tenfold as the standard of living and per capita incomes increase. The idea behind this is that people at the bottom of the pyramid need the smaller appliances to carry out their daily chores away from their homes, on their farmlands, which are impossible to connect to the grid due to their distance from the substations in nearby semi-urban areas.
Most households have storage batteries with a life expectancy of 3 years or more that they recharge via the most democratic source of energy: THE SUN, also known as solar energy. We have seen YoY growth of 35–40 percent in the sales of solar panels, batteries, and charge controllers from Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 cities since 2017. This still excludes many towns in the northeast, east, south, and north of India that are not served by courier companies and must order their solar products for delivery close to cities with internet cafés. As pin code coverage increases, the demand for off-grid solar products will only increase until it reaches its saturation point due to grid penetration, which may take another ten years.
Which products and equipment are primarily used to maintain an efficient power supply in these solar systems?
A charge controller and inverter are at the heart of any off-solar product or system, with battery storage acting as the brain and solar panels acting as the gut. This equipment is common to all off-grid solar products; however, the technology, size, and deliverable features vary depending on the product’s ultimate use.

Due to technological advancements, conventional lead-acid batteries are now being replaced by ferrous lithium batteries, which have longer life cycles, are portable, and have better disposal mechanisms. Solar panels are also becoming more efficient every year. In 2017, a 6×3-foot panel produced 320 watts, and now the same panel is producing 450W. Charge controllers and integrated circuits are becoming more digitally controlled and efficient. An ALTO is not the same as a BMW, which differentiates our products from the rest of the products on the market. There is always room for more efficient technologies to deliver longer life cycles and better features. We have achieved a feat due to the years and money we have spent in R&D and innovation since the inception of the brand in 2003 and the ultimate breakeven in 2009.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having off-grid solar installed?
Every technology has its pros and cons. However, off-grid solar has only one con: the recurring maintenance cost of the battery and storage system. Since off-grid systems rely on an auxiliary unit to store the solar energy derived during the day, the auxiliary unit, i.e., the battery, comes with specific and finite life cycles.
One of the most significant advantages of off-grid solar is that it functions even during power cuts and in areas with irregular power supplies, based on their energy spending.
Financial access and consumer awareness are the other two key challenges we’ve faced since we started. And they only got better to a limited extent. Banks are not willing to finance or extend loans to people in rural areas due to their existing exposure to financing their agricultural incomes.
We have now tied up with two NBFCs who have committed a large corpus of collateral-free funds for the on-grid and utility-scale segments, which, once successful, they will replicate for the off-grid domain for financing solar water pumps, battery storage systems, and community micro-grids.
What effects has the rise in solar product imports had on your companies?
It gives me a great sense of achievement and accomplishment when I see how the scenario had changed regarding India being an importer of solar technologies when we started our journey in 2003 and how much we have indigenously developed and achieved today.

Stakeholders take numerous steps to promote all-around vertical integration and manufacturing of solar equipment in India with anti-dumping duties, PLI, tax holidays, and export benefits. Therefore, OFF-Grid solar is somewhat protected from cheap imports from neighbouring countries. Most of the components used to create quality systems are made in India. Additionally, considering the unavailability of lithium deposits in India to develop lithium-ion technology, the government of India is promoting the exploration and mining of other lithium substitutes such as sodium-ion, lithium-sulphur, and nickelcadmium, the reserves of which are native to India.
Solar Universe India is exporting its off-grid products to other developing nations in Africa, South America, and Asia, as well as to the oceanic islands surrounding Australasia.
How does your company dominate the online and e-commerce segments for solar products?
It wasn’t easy, but by 2012, we were able to convince the thenmushrooming industry of online shopping malls and e- commerce portals to make solar products a mainstream product online and to list our range of solutions so that they can reach the new-age online shoppers in Tier 2 and beyond cities, which will also spread awareness about solar energy and its benefits.
We can proudly claim to be the first company to take this initiative and introduce “Solar Products” as a category for other companies to display their products online. We still command more than 50 percent of the market share in online shopping for solar products and solutions, with more than 100 orders for products of varied sizes processed daily. We have a huge support team that offers troubleshooting and installation support via video calls to the end consumer.
This has been a great marketing strategy for us, as several customers who purchased the smaller solar products online later reached out to us to go big with their solar investments.
What are your company’s offerings in the off-grid solar segment, and how do you differ from other players in the market?
Apart from having the smallest solar panel, which starts at 2W and is suitable for recharging 4V batteries, we also have DC to AC converters, battery chargers, and adapters with added features for mobile charging and running 12V loads. We have also developed a unique mobile charging kiosk for rural communities. This can also be a source of income for the local vendors.
We are also fully geared to offer solutions for CSR and grant activities in the lighting and energy segments, where we have already worked with bigwigs such as HDFC, NTPC, and M&M, to name a few.
Due to the head start, we had in the solar energy domain in India by virtue of being pioneers, our organisation has been successful in making its name a household brand.
This can be explained by the strategy adopted for introducing solar products and solutions on online platforms in 2012, which made solar an affordable and accessible product. As solar technology improved, which resulted in increased cost-effectiveness, a lot of these customers who had earlier purchased smaller solar products such as garden lights and lamps decided to go big by installing rooftop solar plants. testifying to our quality, they’ve usually contacted us first!
Moreover, solar technology is warranted for 25 years, and we’ve completed 19 years in the industry. It’s safe to say we’ve seen all the ups and downs of the industry and have definitely learned a lot. We are very grateful to be part of electrifying India and can’t wait to see and do more.