Large industrial consumers with high power consumption are shifting to solar to benefit from lower power costs.  With the rooftop space remaining unused, businesses are setting up rooftop systems to avail power at stable costs for years.

One such example is the multinational food company General Mills India installing a 600 kW rooftop solar project at its Malegaon facility in Maharashtra, which now saves the company over ₹7.5 million (~$80,224) annually.

Maharashtra-based Polaris Renewable Solutions commissioned the project in June 2025 at a cost of ₹21 million (~$224,628).

General Mills India manufactures brands like Pillsbury Atta, Betty Crocker, and Häagen-Dazs.

The solar system installed under net metering was designed to reduce the company’s daytime power consumption. Before the installations, the company was incurring electricity costs of more than ₹3 million (~$32,090) per month and ₹36 million (~$383,674) per year.

The system is set up with Axitec’s 550 Wp Mono PERC modules coupled with Solaris’ 110 kW inverters.

The rooftop system generates 2,400 units daily and 67,000 units monthly. It is expected to yield a return in less than three years, meeting 20% of the company’s power needs.

The company is in advanced stages of discussion about procuring additional renewable energy through a captive project.

It is also considering integrating the rooftop system with a battery storage project before 2029. Installing a battery storage system will allow the company to store solar energy and utilize it during non-solar hours.

Polaris said that installing the rooftop project across multiple rooftops with different dimensions and tilts proved challenging.

Installers say that rooftop solar systems can provide 20% to 30% savings with minimal transmission losses, while open access, which often covers 40% to 50% of consumption, adds scale.

Mercom India hosts a pan-India ‘C&I Clean Energy Meet’ series, bringing renewable energy developers and commercial and industrial power consumers together to discuss options for adopting renewable energy. The next event will be held in Mumbai on April 16, 2026.