Radharani Himghar, a cold storage operator in Kotulpur, West Bengal's Bankura district, has installed a 250 kW rooftop solar project to reduce the electricity costs associated with its refrigeration operations. The facility primarily serves potato farmers and traders and had an average annual electricity consumption of about 120 MWh before the solar installation. The project was executed by Fender Vertex Solutions.
The installation is expected to reduce the facility's electricity expenditure by approximately ₹2.8 million, or ₹28 lakh, each year. Based on the installer's assessment, the project has an estimated payback period of two years and eight months, making the system particularly relevant for energy-intensive agricultural cold-chain facilities where refrigeration creates a substantial and recurring electricity load.
The system uses 585 Wp TOPCon bifacial modules supplied by Anchor by Panasonic, paired with two 125 kW Solis string inverters. The panels are installed on a fixed-tilt structure with a 15-degree inclination. The use of bifacial TOPCon modules combines higher-efficiency module technology with the potential to capture reflected light from the surrounding surface.
One of the project's most notable technical challenges was the limited additional load that could be placed on the existing cold storage roof. Fender Vertex Solutions addressed this constraint by using a Galvalume mounting structure designed to reduce the structural load of the solar installation. This approach demonstrates how rooftop solar deployment for industrial facilities can require structural engineering in addition to conventional electrical system design.
The project also encountered implementation challenges associated with West Bengal's prevailing net metering framework. This is significant for cold storage operators because electricity demand can vary substantially between operating and off-season periods. A previous TERI case study of a West Bengal cold storage similarly highlighted the importance of designing rooftop systems around captive consumption and using appropriate export-control measures where regulations limit net metering.
The Radharani Himghar installation comes as rooftop solar adoption continues to expand across India's commercial and industrial sector. Mercom India Research reported 6.6 GW of rooftop solar additions in the first half of 2026, representing a 131% increase from the 2.8 GW added during the corresponding period of 2025. For electricity-intensive businesses, projects such as this demonstrate how available rooftop space can be converted into an on-site generation asset while reducing exposure to grid electricity costs.