Rooftop Solar PV Awareness Workshop - Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum
Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) and ASAR Social Impact Advisors, in collaboration with the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum, organised a rooftop solar PV awareness workshop on Monday, March 31, 2025, at Eazyworld EHS Engineering, Perambur. The event, held from 10:00 AM to 12 PM, saw the participation of 15 residents from Perambur and nearby areas.
Kirubakaran, CAG explaining rooftop solar PV systems to the participants.
Workshop Overview
Researchers from CAG—Bharath, Meenakshi Chaturvedi, Kirubakaran, and Subramani—along with CAG Consultant Kaarmuhil, attended the workshop.
Mr. Raghukumar, Convenor, Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum, welcomed the participants and provided a brief introduction to the session. Subramani, CAG gave an overview of CAG’s work and its current initiatives focussing on raising awareness about rooftop solar energy.
Participants introduced themselves, shared details about their household’s electricity consumption and bills, and outlined their expectations from the workshop. This helped the facilitators understand their backgrounds and specific needs.
Kirubakaran, CAG delivered a comprehensive presentation on rooftop solar PV systems, covering system types, capacity requirements, space needs, investment costs, available subsidies based on tariff categories, payback period calculations, and key installation guidelines.
One of the participants, Mr. Srinivasa Raghavan, an agricultural entrepreneur, shared his personal experience of independently installing a rooftop solar PV system for his apartment complex. His success story encouraged and sparked interest among the other attendees to learn more about the installation process.
Participant Queries
Participants also inquired about technical and industry-specific aspects of rooftop solar. Key questions included:
- What is the recommended specification for lightning arrestors in rooftop solar installations?
Lightning arrestors should be fabricated from galvanized iron (GI) with a minimum diameter of 1¼ inches and a minimum length of 12 feet. The quantity and placement should be determined based on the system capacity and site-specific meteorological data to ensure comprehensive protection across the entire module layout.
- Are solar panel manufacturers located in Chennai?
While there are no solar module manufacturing units directly within Chennai, Tamil Nadu has Vikram Solar in Sriperumbudur and Tata Power Solar in Tirunelveli and Gangaikondan
- Is rooftop solar adoption eligible for carbon credits?
By reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity generation, rooftop solar adoption helps lower overall carbon emissions. This indirectly supports the carbon credit market by making it more cost-effective for obligated entities to purchase credits to offset their remaining emissions.
- What is the required GI coating thickness for rooftop solar mounting structures?
For rooftop applications, a galvanization thickness of at least 120 microns is recommended, in accordance with IS 4759 and IS 2062 standards. This ensures adequate corrosion resistance, particularly in coastal and high-humidity regions.
- What is the approximate weight of a 1 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic system?
A typical 1 kW rooftop solar PV system weighs approximately 22 to 26 kilograms, depending on the make and model of the solar modules used.
Next Steps and Conclusion
Participants found the workshop to be highly useful and informative, gaining valuable insights into rooftop solar installations and expressing interest in adopting solar energy for their homes.
Encouraged by the success of the event, Mr. Raghukumar, Convenor, Perambur Development Neighbourhood Forum, proposed organising similar sessions in nearby localities to further promote public awareness. For further details, CAG has prepared an SOP for rooftop solar installations. You can access the English version here and the Tamil version here.