Delivering smart and cost-effective energy solutions

Ravindra Prabhudesai, MD, Pitambari Innovative Product Pvt. Ltd., in an interaction with EPR Magazine, talks about the company’s belief in excellence in delivering solutions to its customers. In solar business, most customers face problems related to material, quality of timely installation, and service aftersales. He further says that Pitambari ensures to deliver the best solutions in renewable energy, along with reliability, trust and faith for the organisation.

Kindly walk us through your company’s journey.
Pitambari ‘Solar Care’, a division of Pitambari Products Pvt. Ltd., was formed with a vision to provide clean energy solutions to industrial, residential and commercial sector in 2018. A well-known company in the FMCG sector, Pitambari Innovative Product Pvt. Ltd. embarked its business journey in 1989. With 28 years of hard work, integrity, honesty and improvisation and with the help of eight factories pan India, we are proudly serving over five million satisfied customers across India and overseas.

• Today, scarcity and increasing cost of electricity are some of the main and common problems faced by everyone, and solar energy is an easy, eco-friendly, less expensive solution which makes you self-reliant also. We at Pitambari were facing the problem of huge electricity bills. The total amount of the electricity bills of all the factories of Pitambari was ₹10 lakh per month. Hence, we tried the option of solar energy and the result was miraculous, the new bill amount was just ₹3 lakh. This means that we have saved ₹7 lakh per month. Then we decided to provide this service to our suppliers and agents. They also experienced handsome savings in their electricity bills. Thus, ‘Solar Care’ division came into existence. Today, the Pitambari ‘Solar Care’ division has executed more than 1.5 MWp rooftop solar across India with 50 satisfied customers. Also, we are authorised distributors of Vikram Solar for Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad Region.How do you define the role of solar energy in on-grid and off-grid applications and net metering?
  As you all know, the energy conservation law says, “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, energy can only be transferred/changed from one form to another form.” And I would like to add further that the sun is the universal source of energy. With the PV effect, we are converting solar energy into electricity. Solar energy systems are defined in two main types as follows:
• On-grid system: On-grid solar system only generates power when utility power (grid) is available. They must connect to the grid for function. It will send excess power generated back to the grid when you are overproducing so that you can get credit for it for later use which is basically the net metering policy. Its benefits are that it is simple and cost-effective, offsetting cost within 3-5 years. Its demerits are that it will not generate power when the grid is down.
• Off-grid systems: Off-grid system will allow you to store your electricity in batteries. When the grid is down or it fails, you can generate/utilise your stored energy as per the designed battery backup in hours. Its benefits are that it will provide power to unlit and rural areas. Its demerits are that it is higher in cost as compared to on-grid system.

How is net metering transforming solar applications?
As I explained before, in an on-grid system, net metering is the process which allows you to store your excess generation in the electricity grid and it works as follows: Solar power is the parallel electricity source to your main electricity grid with slightly higher potential value and as per thumb rule, charge always flows from a higher potential to lower, one; due to this, solar energy always becomes the first priority.
Mentioned are a few examples for reference:

• Case I: Suppose the consumer is in need of 20 kW of power and you are generating 25 kW, so your excess power will feed your grid which is called export unit in net metering policy terms.
• Case II: Suppose the consumer is in need of 30kW of power and you are generating 25kW, so it will take extra power from the grid which is called import unit in net metering terms.

The monthly electricity bill will contain the information of all import units and exports units and accordingly they will be charged. Export unit will directly get deducted from your monthly consumption. We have some consumers who are getting good savings in their electricity bills after installing Pitambari ‘Solar Power’ plants.

Is the quality of solar structures being compromised owing to low tariffs?
One bad fish spoils the whole pond, and the same is happening nowadays in the solar market. But Pitambari ‘Solar Care’ has highly qualified and skilled EPC to provide turnkey solutions, i.e., from design till installation and commissioning and further operation and maintenance. We ensure just-in-time quality work with our expertise in engineering, technology, procurement, project management and liaison work to provide customised solutions as per the customer requirement. Pitambari Solar Care believes in excellence and delivering proven designs and solutions to our respectable customers.

In solar business, most customers face the problem of quality of material, quality of installation, commissioning and service aftersales. Pitambari Solar Care assures you that we will satisfy all the above aspects. Pitambari not only assures you the best solar structure, but also the reliability, trust and faith of our organisation. We will always try to give the best solutions in renewable energy. Things to be considered while designing a solar structure are: stability of structure, life of the structure, and quality. People ignore these three aspects and only think about the price as the solar market is very price-sensitive nowadays. But we personally believe in quality and stick with it.

What are your plans and projections for the next two years?
Pitambari ‘Solar Care’ is working with a dedicated and expert team and our vision is to become a topmost solar EPC company in India in the next two years. Pitambari Solar Care would also like to expand our footprint in trading/EPC for solar equipment globally. At present, according to the new rules and regulations of the Housing Department, solar power system is compulsory for every new housing project. Considering the increasing demand of electricity in future, all the residential as well commercial buildings must have solar power system and Pitambari ‘Solar Care’ division is always ready to serve the demand with its experienced and highly qualified team of experts.
Quote – Design consideration in terms of stability and longevity is key to attaining excellence, and Pitambari Solar Care believes in excellence and delivering proven designs and solutions to our respectable customers.