In on-bill loan financing model, the consumers are provided with the capital required for the solar rooftop system as a loan by the discom.
Benefits to discoms
  1. Higher adoption of rooftop solar by consumers in the lower consumption slabs can lead to reduced cross-subsidy burden for the discoms.
Benefits to consumers
  1. Consumers who did not have access to cheap credit are able to install systems under the model.
  2. Aggregated procurement by the discom can ensure better quality of installation.
Benefits to developers
  1. Developers get access to new customer segments who could not afford rooftop solar system otherwise.
  2. Identification and aggregation of consumers by the discoms leads to reduced customer acquisition and business development costs for the developers.
Source : Utility-centric Business Models for Rooftop Solar Models (USAID, 2008)
  • Target Consumer Segment
    Consumers with exclusive roof access and cannot bear the upfront cost of solar system installation
  • Location
    Consumer rooftops
  • Asset Ownership
    Cosumer
  • Metering Arrangement
    Net-metering
  • Role of Discom
    Financing, aggregated procurement
  • Level of involvement by utility
    Low
  • Need for partnerships
    High
  • Revenue to DISCOM
    Low
  • Skill Requirement
    Low
  • Risk to Utility
    High