If Govt Promotes Use of Solar with Battery Pack It will Make Big Impact on India: Shubhra Mohanka

We have as fair a chance as IT industry in US: Shubhra Mohanka, Gautam Solar 

If government promotes use of Solar power with battery pack through time of day concept than a big impact will come in India for Solar energy and environment both, believes Shubhra Mohanka, Director, Galo Energy Pvt Ltd, an arm of Gautam Solar and one of the largest manufacturers of solar lights in the country. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Mohanka shared her views on various topics including her company’s contribution towards ‘Make in India’ initiative, bottlenecks faced by the company, it’s product offerings etc. Here’re the excerpts from that exclusive interview published in the Saur Energy International Magazine’s June 2019 edition:

Q. Tell us about Galo Energy’s work in India so far, and its contribution towards ‘Make in India’ initiative?

Shubhra Mohanka, Director | Galo Energy

Galo Energy is a part of Gautam Solar Group Company which has 20+ years of experience in the solar sector with 100 per cent ‘Made in India’ products.

We are manufacturing a wide product range of solar components in the off grid / hybrid space. These include

Q. Which are your top performing products in India? A breakup between direct sales and government sales? What are the key markets in India for you?

Our top performing products are Lithium Ferrous Battery packs and Solar Street light.

We currently sell primarily to Solar System Integrators & Government projects.

In fact, Solar system integrators remain our most important market segment for now in India.

Q. In your view, what are the key bottlenecks in the growth of solar industry in India?

The continued import from China remains the biggest challenge to the growth of a strong domestic solar industry.

Q. Do you see distributed solar becoming a significant contributor in achieving India’s target for household electrification?

Yes – In Government of India’s Saubhagya Scheme, Galo Energy has supplied close 80,000 + Solar power packs to provide energy access to households, directly or indirectly. For last mile connectivity or energy access, distributed solar products will remain relevant, as various geographical factors make Grid electricity availability very difficult, or a very high cost option in some parts of India.

Q. What are Galo Energy’s latest product offerings coming up, with their specifications?

Galo Energy is already making Lithium Ferrous Battery Packs for Solar Home Lights & Street Lights. Now we will be offering ESS (Energy Storage Systems) for 1 – 5 KWp solar power plant. This should be particularly relevant for rooftop solar powered sites, including mini-grids in off grid areas.

Q. Going forward, what policy initiative in your view could have the biggest impact on energy access through distributed solar?

In our view, if government promotes use of Solar power with battery pack through time of day concept than a big impact will come in India for Solar energy and environment both.

Q. As one of the largest global markets for distributed solar, we have heard officials talk about the need to develop appliances that can run on DC power. Do you agree with that assessment?

Yes, as that will reduce the need for a converter and bring down costs appreciably. In fact, with low purchasing power, anything that brings down costs for the end user or consumer is desirable.

Q. Does financing play a role in your sales? How else do you market your products?

Yes, Financing does play a vital role in sale of Solar products in rural area.

Q. Your prediction for the next big innovation to look forward to on the solar products side.

We believe Storage for Solar System & Battery packs has the potential, and will cause a serious level of disruption in terms of energy access and spread of solar.