After living in different cities, Suhas B Shetty’s homecoming was driven by an urge to use local talent to build something of his own.

Shetty decided to use what was abundantly available to set up his business — his grandmother’s homemade organic ice cream recipes. He started small with a manufacturing unit and a store in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, his hometown. “Our first batch sold out in a few days,” said Shetty, the founder of Iceberg Organic Ice Creams.

Gradually, the company expanded to over 70 outlets nationwide, resulting in increased electricity consumption. “Expanding to around 6,000 liters of ice cream per day meant bigger cold storage facilities, advanced machinery, and very high power bills,” said Shetty.

In 2021, Shetty decided to switch to solar power to reduce his rising electricity bills.

“It was a huge investment initially, but I knew that in the long run, I would be saving more than what I invested,” he said.

His Nellore factory has a 55 kW rooftop solar system, which cost Shetty ₹4.5 million (~$52,561) to install.

“About 80% of our electricity needs are met through the solar system. We have recovered our initial investment and are now saving nearly ₹100,000 (~$1,169) to ₹150,000 (~$1,753) per month,” he said.

Before switching to solar, Shetty’s power bills would amount to ₹350,000 (~$4,089.55) per month. Now, his monthly bill comes to about ₹250,000 (~$2,921).

“The system has 75 panels, which roughly produce 5,000 units of electricity per month. Our installer was Tata Power,” said Shetty.

Shetty added that while procuring electricity from the grid was not an issue, given the limited power cuts, saving on energy bills was a key motivator for him to switch to solar.

“Apart from savings, I wanted to make my operations more eco-friendly. The ice cream we make is a testament to our belief in living in harmony with nature. We also have a waste treatment plant to cut our carbon footprint.”

Many industries have been switching to solar energy to generate clean power and reduce their electricity bills.

In the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, the industrial and commercial segments accounted for over 22% of the rooftop solar installations in India. India added 1.2 GW of rooftop solar capacity during the quarter, up 232% year-over-year from 366.5 MW, according to Mercom India Research’s Rooftop Solar Market Report.

Mercom India hosts Mercom India C&I Clean Energy Meets across the country to help consumers wanting to make a green switch to network with clean energy solution providers.

The next event in the series will be held in Coimbatore on June 13, 2025.