A residential apartment complex in Bengaluru is saving up to ₹4 million (~$47,768) annually by installing a rooftop solar system. By switching to clean energy, the condominium with 1,030 flats has reduced its electricity expenses by 33%.

Leveraging the power of solar energy, the SNN Raj Greenbay apartment complex in Electronic City Phase 2 has set up a 342 kW residential rooftop system, which it claims is the second-largest in the city.

Before installing the rooftop solar systems, residents were collectively incurring ₹1 million (~$11,942) in electricity expenses and an estimated ₹12 million (~$143,305) annually.

The rooftop solar installation is spread over 32,000 sq ft and utilizes 640 panels from LONGi Solar equipped with bifacial technology and 638 Enphase micro-inverters. Installed by SolarSquare, the project was commissioned in December 2023.

The system has generated an impressive 0.34 million units in seven months, surpassing 100% of the estimated electricity generation and confirming the project’s financial viability. The project will likely break even in 4.75 years, about three months ahead of the targeted timeline.

Speaking to Mercom India, Vice-President of SNN Raj Greenbay Apartment Owners Association Shourya Singh said, “Earlier, we were paying ₹1 million per month as electricity charges. We decided to install a 342 kW capacity grid-connected solar rooftop system, and now we can save an estimated ₹4-4.5 million (~$47,768- $53,738). Annually, we can generate 0.55 million units from the solar panels.”

The project was crowd-funded by the apartment association and was implemented at an estimated cost of ₹24 million ($286, 603).

The apartment plans on expanding its rooftop solar capacity by 150-200 kW in the coming years.

“At SolarSquare, we have helped 150 housing societies in making the switch to rooftop solar from coal-based electricity. The SSN Greenbay project is a testament to our service excellence for housing societies. We further plan to help 500 housing societies in the next two years,” said Co-founder of SolarSquare Shreya Mishra.

Many residential complexes are extensively adopting rooftop solar to reduce their electricity costs and carbon footprint. Last year, another apartment complex in Bengaluru went in for the third phase of rooftop solar installation after realizing tangible benefits from the first two phases.

Convinced of residential rooftop solar benefits, the government is aggressively promoting such installations through the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which aims to equip 10 million households with rooftop solar systems. Under the program, group housing societies and residential welfare associations are eligible for ₹18,000 ($215)/kW as central financial assistance.

As of June 6, 30,965 applications have been received under the PM Surya Ghar program in Karnataka.