Rooftop Solar PV Awareness Workshop - Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) and ASAR Social Impact Advisors, in collaboration with the Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association (RoKA), organized a Rooftop Solar PV Awareness Workshop on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at KNRA Community Hall, Adyar. The event, held from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM, saw the participation of 24 residents from Kasturba Nagar and nearby communities.
Workshop Overview
The session featured researchers from CAG and experts from ASAR, who shared valuable insights on rooftop solar PV systems. Participants received IEC material covering key topics such as system fundamentals, installation process, investment, and available incentives, which they found highly useful.
To understand the audience's requirements, participants introduced themselves, mentioning their locality, type of residence (villa, apartment, or individual house), and their primary concerns. Half of the attendees were from villas or independent houses, mainly seeking ways to reduce their high electricity bills through solar solutions. The remaining participants, residing in apartments, were keen on exploring the benefits of solar for common areas.
Vishnu and Bharath Ram from CAG introduced CAG’s work and the purpose of the workshop. Kirubakaran provided an in-depth explanation of rooftop solar PV systems, covering:
- System types and capacity requirements
- Space needed for installation
- Investment costs and available subsidies for different electricity tariffs
- Payback period calculations based on electricity consumption
- Key guidelines and checklists for installation
Kirubakaran, CAG explaining rooftop solar PV systems to participants.
Participant Queries
The workshop’s Q&A session addressed a range of practical queries from participants. Key topics included:
- Solar PV performance variations due to radiation, location, and seasons
- Cooling needs, panel lifespan, and electricity bills during low-generation months
- System compatibility, including impact on appliances, need for separate earthing, use of UPS batteries
- Feasibility for single-phase connections
- Hybrid system behavior during outages and consumption during grid failure
- Maintenance needs and availability of Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC)
- Financing-related queries, such as: loan eligibility, required documents, disbursement process, PAN and income criteria, subsidy taxation, virtual metering
- PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana scheme details and online loan application process
- Grievance redressal mechanisms and vendor delays
- Aadhaar-linked subsidy eligibility for multiple connections
Next Steps & Conclusion
The session concluded with tea and refreshments, and participants expressed appreciation for the initiative. A decision to form a WhatsApp group was agreed to facilitate further discussions and expert consultations. Additionally, attendees requested:
- A site visit for a better visual understanding of rooftop solar installations.
- A technical guide and checklist to assist them when dealing with vendors.
Overall, the workshop was well-received, providing valuable insights at the right time for residents exploring solar energy solutions. For further details, CAG has prepared an SOP for rooftop solar installations. You can access the English version here and the Tamil version here.