Sunkalp Energy

A Marketing report submitted to

Course Instructor: Prof. Rajat Sharma
Academic Associate: Ms. Bhargavi N Naik
In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the course

Marketing I
By
Group E-1
Aman Mittal (16045)
Balachandar (161)
Eklavya Pandit (16124)
Gaurav Bagde (161)
Manish Yadav (16185)
Swarnima Dora (163)
04th September 2016

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD

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Contents
Industrial Analysis........................................................................................................................ 4
Past and Projected growth figures of the market......................................................................7
5C Analysis:................................................................................................................................. 7
Company.................................................................................................................................. 7
Jan 2012 - Jan 2015............................................................................................................. 7
Jan 2015- to Present............................................................................................................7
Primary Motivator................................................................................................................. 8
Inhibitors............................................................................................................................. 8
Competitor............................................................................................................................... 8
CleanMax Solar.................................................................................................................... 8
Industries:........................................................................................................................... 9
Insolare (Insolare, n.d.).........................................................................................................9
Ezysolare............................................................................................................................ 10
Tata Power Solar................................................................................................................ 10
Larsen & Toubro Solar Projects..........................................................................................11
Customer............................................................................................................................... 14
B2B Customers.................................................................................................................. 14
B2C Customers.................................................................................................................. 15
Collaborator........................................................................................................................... 15
Context................................................................................................................................... 16
Political Environment:......................................................................................................... 16
Economic:........................................................................................................................... 17
Social:................................................................................................................................. 17
Technological:..................................................................................................................... 18
Legal:.................................................................................................................................. 18
Ecological:.......................................................................................................................... 18
Performance Review................................................................................................................. 19
SWOT ANALYSIS...................................................................................................................... 20
Marketing Strategy..................................................................................................................... 20
Targeting Criteria:...................................................................................................................... 22
Evaluation:................................................................................................................................. 22
Recommended Target Markets..................................................................................................22
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Positioning:................................................................................................................................ 23
Positioning Statement:............................................................................................................... 23
Analysis of Solar Plant in different sectors and Marketing Strategy to be used:.........................23
Action Plan:............................................................................................................................... 24
Profit and Loss statement.......................................................................................................... 25
Analysis of a Schools Solar Power Plant...............................................................................25
ANALYSIS OF A COMMERCIAL SOLAR POWER PLANT....................................................26
Contingency Plan:...................................................................................................................... 27
References................................................................................................................................ 28

Industrial Analysis
India has a huge latent for solar power generation that can lead to a largescale deployment of solar energy if harnessed efficiently and effectively.
Among various forms of solar energy in India, rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV)
technology provide increasingly affordable, clean and reliable electricity and
that too at the site of consumption itself. The scale of rooftop solar
deployment is limited by the area of roof space available for an individual
site and numerous other challenging uses the roof has. This limits the
individual project size at the respective site which results in increased
transaction costs for the vendors because of the time and resources they
need to invest in exploiting each of them. However, if this total demand is
aggregated, the collection process of data is streamlined, and coordination of
buyers is achieved at the time of purchase, the costs incurred in the
transaction can be reduced thereby helping these projects move forward. To
play this role of cost reduction the rooftop aggregators plays a big role
bringing forth this standardization. Aggregators act as a platform where end
customers, EPCs, and component manufacturers interact and achieve
aggregated demand reducing the cost of components and benefiting every
EPC by providing the PV system at low prices.
Since two years, the rooftop solar market in India has developed at a
compounded annual growth rate of 90%. Over the next five years, it is
expected to continue growing at a strong rate of 60% CAGR. As of March
2016, the cumulative installed capacity stands at 740 MW. Industrial as well
as Commercial(C&I) segment makes up very nearly 73% of the market,
leaving the outstanding 27% for the residential segment. As viability
improves, we expect industrial rooftop segment to account for the fastest
expansion at an annual growth rate of 248% until 2020. As solar panel price
in India move southward with competition getting more solid every year, with
increasing number of consumers can be expected to become a part of the
solar energy. (Bridge to India, n.d.)

Figure 1: Market share of solar power generation (Rooftop market in India, n.d.)
Figure 2: Installed solar capacity in India in different sectors (Bridge to India, n.d.)

Past and Projected growth figures of the market

Financial Year
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
Future Forecast
2017
2018
2019
Target by 2022

Solar(MW)
161
461
1205
2319
2632
3744
6763
11497(taking approx.
70%)
18000
30600
100 GW

Rooftop(MW)
78.95
150
285
525
740
1204(60% exp growth)
1800
2880
40GW

5C Analysis:
Company
Jan 2012 - Jan 2015
Sunkalp acted as an EPC and provided turnkey solutions to consumers
interested in rooftop solar energy harnessing. Sunkalp analysed a potential
clients energy needs, designs a solar cell arrangement based on their
requirement and sources the cells from partner solar cell manufacturers, to
provide an alternate power system. Post installation, Sunkalp also took care
of maintenance and servicing of the infrastructure.

Jan 2015- to Present

Sunkalp Energy pivoted itself to become a technology enabled rooftop
aggregator for EPC companies. They developed an application to provide
support to EPCs in following ways:
Lead generation by online platform
Automated layout by just clicking photos of 4 corners, get instant pricing
then and there and emailed to the customer. This doesnt require a skilled
engineer rather a low skilled worker. New customer acquisition cost goes
down from 30k to 3k.
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 Cheaper pre-vetted products by aggregation over demands by different

EPCs
Flat top shippable mounting structures to reduce implementation time to
8hrs.

Sunkalp also provides financing support for some of its end customers as
shifting to solar requires initial financial costs. Sunkalp also differentiates
from its competitors by providing liability for maintenance. AMC contracts
backed by Sunkalp are buyable. This way they pay back for any shortfalls in
requisite electricity generation.

Primary Motivator
Despite the impressive growth, the market is still way behind on achieving
the 40 GW rooftop capacity target for 2022. Aggregators play a very
important role in getting EPC to their waiting clients and find new
prospective clients for them through market outreach.

Inhibitors
Electricity is already being provided at a subsidised rate in India; this increases break even time
for anyone wishing to switch to solar energy. Thus getting convertible leads and end customers
is a difficult task.

Competitor

CleanMax Solar
CleanMax Solar is now the No. 1 rooftop solar developer in India after
completing over 72 projects in about 25+ industries across India.They
develop solar projects on a turnkey basis, providing power on a per-kWh
basis, mostly at rates more feasible than grid tariffs. CleanMax Solar also
provides solar power plants on a CapEx basis and supplies offsite solar power
through Open Access where regulations permit.
CleanMax Solar helps gain traction in the business with an assurance that
customers dreams will be cleared by one experienced team handling most
things; including financing, design, engineering, procurement, construction,
and maintenance.
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They go out to make Solar energy solutions easy. Their customers are Indias
leading corporates and MNCs. Customers enjoy clean, reliable and hasslefree solar power.
Their end-to-end solutions, from installation to maintenance, powered by
cost-effective and streamlined commissioning processes and superior asset
management bring the power of solar within the customer's reach.
(Cleanmax, n.d.)

Market Share: 28%

Industries:

Automotive/Auto Components

Food and Beverages

Government/Academic Institutions

IT/ITES

Other Manufacturing Industries

Insolare (Insolare, n.d.)

InSolare has been founded with the sight of building a Green India. The initial
plan has been actualized by developing MW sized PV Projects in relation with
strategic investors on BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer)/BOOT (Build, Own,
Operate, Transfer) models. Insolare InSolare prides itself on ensuring that
every project delivers the maximum possible to the consumer in terms of
quality and the very latest technology.
Discipline and integrity play a vital role in achieving this end. Its supreme
vision is to fulfil extremely high-quality multi-MW projects in India using the
most updated technology and emphasising utmost customer service.
InSolare Energy is a system Integrator and Solar Energy EPC provider. Its
mission is to produce and integrate competitive solar energy technology to
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enthrall the customers by bringing the best in class, an end to end solar
energy solutions.
Continued innovation resulting in the very latest technological solutions is
what Insolare stands for. Some of its clients are Infosys, ABG, Cisco, Wipro,
Jindal.
The principal activities of the company are:
o Generating electricity and distributing it
o Renewable energy sources and the environment
o Engineering and Industrial installations
InSolare Values: (Insolare, n.d.)

InSolare Ecosystem (Insolare, n.d.)

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Ezysolare
It is a tech startup which aims at revolutionizing the solar energy industry.
The main idea behind Ezysolare was to provide a trouble-free, cost-effective
and easy power resource. It is a stage to give the power to the owners, solar
system designers and integrators, financiers, equipment providers and all
relevant stakeholders of the solar industry.
There is a total of 45 suppliers and 500 products that have been listed.
(Ezysolare, n.d.)

Tata Power Solar

Tata Power Solar Systems, which was founded in 1989, was a juncture
between British Petroleum Solar and Tata group. It is divided into three main
sectors- solar cell and module production, engineering, procurement and
construction (EPC) services for creating innovative solar products.
In the past few years, there was a tremendous growth in the Indian solar
power market, and it is expected of the sector to register a growth of over
50% annually in the coming years. For the bulk consumers, this is turning out
to be a very appealing source of energy since there is a firm government
push. Tata Power Solar group have established a very substantial dealership
while the market is basically a fragmented one.
Tata Power Solar has installed over 65 MW of distributed generation and
rooftop projects, including prominent rooftop projects with Asian Paints for
4.45MW, GEDA for 1.2MW, Murugan Textiles for 2MW and SASTRA University
for 1.25MW, along with multiple residential and industrial projects. In a
category which is gaining focus and attracting multiple players, Tata Power
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Solar with its undiluted approach towards quality modules, timely installation
and an excellent customer experience has surged ahead in the rooftop solar
space. (Tata Power, n.d.)

Larsen & Toubro Solar Projects

L&T plays a vital role in bringing about the green revolution in India. It is a
renewable energy provider and covers the complete range of solar power
suppliers that also takes into account the development of economically
feasible and technically higher EPC results with substantial competencies
that cover the important elements in the solar value chain involving Solar
Power and Solar PV structures. In the past few years, it has emerged as a
superior in solar machinery to design and implement Solar Power plants.
L&T Solar is the only Indian EPC in the top 20 global solar market. It has the
largest Tracker Project (10 MWp) in Dhama, Gujarat. It is also Indias largest
tracking plant.
L&T stands out in the Solar Power structure designing. It provides loyal and
cost-effective Solar Photovoltaic Power plant construction without degrading
the calibre, at the same time providing financial assistance for developers.
(L&T, n.d.)

Company

Values

Consistent plant performance and customer satisfaction

leading up to 100% repeat customers

Less than 30 days of installation

Customer Satisfaction is their top most priority

Delivery of quality products

Integrity and discipline

ClearMax
Solare

Insolare

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The online platform approach that ezysolare.com has

taken is a great way to address the pain points of the
solar installers from getting customer leads to designing
of solar plants to the procurement of equipments.

It is known for its undiluted approach towards quality

modules and timely installation

It focuses on fast and cost-effective solar PV power plant

construction without compromising on quality

Ezysolare

Tata Power
Solar

Larsen &
Toubro
Solar Power

Company/4P
Product
s

CleanMax
Solar

Place/
Company

EPC Services

1. Solar Water Pump

Insolare

NA

Promotion

NA

Providing
Property tax
rebate

Karnataka

2. Centralized Solar
Street Lights
Birla
3. Satellite Tracking Jindal,
Systems
Wipro

Ezysolare

Price

NA

Focuses on
MNCs

NA

NA

Group,
Infosys,

1. 60
cells
Solar Tamil Nadu
Module
Panels
with variable WPS

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2. Solar-Module
Mounting
Structure
3. Solar Connector

1. Solar Panels
Tata Power
Solar

Tamil
Nadu,
2. On Grid- Rooftop
Sunderbans,
power generator
NA
Chhattisgarh,
3. Retrofit - Solarize Ladakh

NA

the inverter

Larsen
&
Toubro Solar

1. Solar PV Panel

Gujarat

NA

NA

Market Shares of some other Solar Companies are given below:

Cumulative Market Shares:
1. Inverter Suppliers: (Bridge to India, n.d.)

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2. Product Developers: (Bridge to India, n.d.)

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3. EPC Contractors: (Bridge to India, n.d.) (Rooftop market in India, n.d.)

Customer
Sunkalp is acting as a B2B as well a B2C company. The following are its
customers:

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B2B Customers
EPC companies are its B2B customers. EPC stands for Engineering,
Procurement and Construction. Currently, EPCs suffer from following
problems:
Consumes time in site survey done by experienced engineers. 40-50%
queries turn out fake as they regard solar rooftops waiting to be tried out by
people and not necessarily be installed.
Installation gauging requirements are done by experienced engineers and
need to be automated.
This creates a requirement for an automated designing and quote generating
system with basic input requirement needs that can be fulfilled even by
unskilled workers.
Values being sought by them:
Economic: Reduction in per installation cost and per lead actualisation cost.
Functional: Ease of designing installations as well as ease of final
implementation
Experiential: Being under a brand umbrella like Sunkalp enables them to
garner respect and validity from end customers who are currently
nonexistent.

B2C Customers
End customers can be divided into following:
Residential.
Commercial
Industrial
They face the following general problems:
Awareness regarding Solar Energy options
Accurate cost estimates: Differential pricing by the different vendor to be
reduced to amount to a regular pricing for end customers.
No maintenance pulse monitoring (after service)
Need for a gateway for quality as there are too many companies out there
which people dont even trust.
The decisions taken by end customers are calculated ones rather than
impulsive decisions. How well Sunkalp can partake in these calculations and
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help drive them to lower and more future-oriented decisions would decide
how higher the conversions might be.
Different values being sought by them are as follows:
Economic: Low-cost installations with financial support till break even period.
Functional: Easy to maintain systems with a system or provision to check the
current pulse. A user-friendly experience while estimating their requirements
and costs.
Social: Saving of carbon footprints.

Collaborator
There are three collaborators:
1.

Distributors: They provide Sunkalp Energy with PV solar modules that

can directly fit on the rooftop. They have rate contracts with component
manufacturers in India and abroad thereby enabling them to procure at
lower rates and offer the same to the customer. Sunkalp provides
customers with the choice to select from various distributors through the
app. Different distributors are:
a.
Vikram Solar
b.
EMMVEE Solar
c.
Alpex
d.
Navitas Solar
e.
Solarmaxx
f.
Deshmukh
g.
CNBM

2.
Investors: Investors provide time to time funding to Sunkalp Energy.
They generated Rs.2.5 Crores through Angel Funding from various Investors.
3. PCs: Sunkalp Energy performs B2B transactions with various EPCs,
which acts as collaborators as well as customers. They have identified
7000 Potential EPCs that are small in size. The basic collaboration with
EPCs is for solar mountable modules and for various types of
procurement. These requirements and collaborations are also
mentioned above in Consumer segment.

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Context

Political Environment:
The increase in the pollution in the world and its adverse effects on the
environment make Indian government take several steps to increase the
renewable energy source in India. One of the major steps towards Solar
Energy is the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission 2009 (JNNSM). The aim
of this mission is to increase in the solar deployment to 22 GW in 2022. In
the recent Union Budget 2016-17, there is an increase in cess tax for Oil,
Coal, and other non-renewable sources. This may lead to an increase in the
funds for the Renewable Energy projects. Also, the launch of GST next year
will not impact much on the sale of the solar power because of its zero tax
policy, but there may be an increase in the setting up cost of Solar panels
and also the industry except for no change in exemption from custom and
excise duty on Solar products, whose reduction by 5% is equivalent to 15%
decrease in Solar panel installation. The incentives which are provided by
Government for solar power are provision for Accelerated Depreciation which
significantly reduce the tax to be paid, Capital subsidy of 15% to a maximum
of 500 kW, Financial incentive are provided for Power generated through
Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and Net metering incentive for the
amount of Green power generated. (MNRE, n.d.)

Economic:
In India, the majority of the source of the energy consumption is from nonrenewable sources like Coal (42%), Oil (24%), and Natural Gas (24%). There
is an increase in the fluctuation of the cost of the fuels in the global market,
and the cost is expected to increase in the future because of the continuous
relying on the non-renewable energy sources. This will increase the cost of
electricity production and thereby increase the average cost per unit. The
decrease in the cost of installation of solar panels and provision of subsidies
by the government attract the high consumption energy users to install the
solar panels. Also, many of the rural areas and remote power did not receive
power because of its location. Through the use of SolSar power, we can
improve the facilities in those areas which will improve the economic value of
the country. Also, this will increase the employment in the upcoming years,
and it is expected to grow faster than the employment in the other
industries.
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Social:
In India, people are mostly aware of the adverse effects of the non-renewable
sources and the environmental benefits of the use of the Renewable solar
energy. But, the awareness about the investment and the cost benefits is
less. This acts as a hindrance to the growing to the solar energy market.
There are three segments based on the usage namely - Commercial,
Industrial, and Residential. Commercial and Industrial segment hold 73%
share in the market. This segment has high energy consumption users and
paying high utility tariff compared to the residents. Therefore, the payback
benefit is generally higher for these segments. It can be used as off mode
synchronization in some states where the utility tariff is lesser. Compared to
residential, awareness is increasing in this segment and the availability of
large space attract them to invest in the solar energy market. It is expected
that the investment in solar by these segments will increase. The other
segment, Residential segment holds 27% share in the market. The average
energy consumption is generally less. Utility tariff is higher than solar tariff
only for high consumption resident users. Most of the residents are of low
energy consumption, and the utility tariff is lesser than the solar tariff for
these users, and also space is limited for their required power. This makes
unattractive for residents to invest in solar power.
Based on the demography, we can talk about the rural and urban segment.
In urban, many have awareness about its effects on the environment and the
high average income makes them invest in the solar energy market. In Rural,
the awareness about the solar panel and the environmental benefits is very
less. Many rural areas did not receive the required electricity. Government
launch programme and subsidies to improve the solar power consumption in
rural areas.(Indian Solar Market, n.d.)

Technological:
The major disadvantage for the entry of the solar energy is the high costs
compared to other energy sources. But this has been reduced dramatically
during the last decade by developing the latest technologies. Research and
Development are going on to improve the technology and benefits of solar
panels. The latest technologies are the introduction of new cell material
which leads to decrease in cost, which targets $1 per watt installed costs by
2020. Also, the latest technologies increase the efficiency of the panel.
Thereby it requires less space for generating the required power which
attracts the residents to install the solar panel. Another latest technology is
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the Floating solar panels which can be used in farms for irrigation purposes.
This will increase the installation of solar panel in rural areas. Sunkalp acts as
a platform to show this benefits to customers and make them choose their
products which are more beneficial to them. (Tech by NDTV, n.d.)

Legal:
The government has launched several rules and regulations to be followed
by the solar energy market to reduce the adverse effects on the
environment. Also, India signed international agreements with other nations,
and one of the recent issues is the judgement of WTO against India's
Domestic Content Requirement. India has taken steps to improve local solar
manufacturing panels by imposing a domestic content requirement on
various phases of the project. But this is against the rules of General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and Trade-Related Investment
Measures (TRIMs Agreement). US filed the case against India and WTO
declare judgement against India by telling that this will create discrimination
between foreign and local suppliers. But, this judgement would not affect the
growth of solar power but may decrease the competition between local
manufacturers because of the superior technology from foreign suppliers.
Also, the legal enforceability of contracts in India is not very robust. The
problem is more pronounced for solar, where there are a long payback period
and PPA contracts of over 20 years. (Hindu: WTO in Solar Panels, n.d.)

Ecological:
The environment is growing towards solar energy in the global market. The
government policies introduced by India favours the environment for solar
energy. This can be analysed from both customer and company perspective.
Customers tend to buy solar panel because of high electricity costs from nonrenewable sources. But there is a risk on the investment because of the less
certain of the life of the solar panels. Also, the sector is not very organized,
and a lot of fake data is prevailing in the market. This creates a need for an
organized data platform. Sunkalp provides that platform for the consumers to
know about the amount of the investment and other details required for the
solar panel installation. This makes easy for the customers to install the solar
panels. From the companys perspective, there is an increase in the local
manufacturing of solar panels in India and also the import of latest
technology low-cost products from foreign countries. This reduces the
installation costs of the solar panel. But the availability of skilled labour to
21

install is less, and it may lead to improper installation and thereby reduction
in efficiency and life of the solar panel. Technology prevailing in the local
market is inferior to foreign nations, and therefore companies are mostly
relying on foreign products. Sunkalp provides the platform for the company
to show their products and its benefits compared to its competitors.(Sunkalp
Part 1, n.d.)(Sunkalp Part2, n.d.)(Bridge to India, n.d.)(PASTEL for Solar
Panels, n.d.)

Performance Review
Since its inception in 2012 Sunkalp has worked on numerous EPC projects
supporting various residential as well as commercial customers. The
marketing mix analysis of Sunkalp is as follows:
1. Product: Sunkalp acted as an EPC and provided turnkey solutions to
consumers interested in rooftop solar energy harnessing. Sunkalp analysed a
potential clients energy needs, designs a solar cell arrangement based on
their requirement and sources the cells from partner solar cell
manufacturers, to provide an alternate power system. Post installation,
Sunkalp also took care of maintenance and servicing of the infrastructure.
2. Price: Flexible costs existed for various modules dependent on requirements
and place of installation. A rough idea could arrive from the solar calculator
available on site. Example: A 20Kw load on 1500 Sq. Ft requires an upfront
cost of Rs. 12 lakhs with full roof utilization which will break even in 6-7
years.
3. Promotion: Advertising followed highlighting long-term benefits of Solar
Power and future as solar energy. Highlighting benefits in term of carbon
footprints to environmental enthusiasts was also followed.
4. Place: Sunkalp followed targeted marketing strategy going door to door to
generate leads. Primary sources were schools in NCRs with high roof
utilisation area. They have been operating in the following cities:
a. Delhi
b. Gurgaon
c. Faridabad
d. Noida
e. Chandigarh
f. Mumbai

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SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
On the go designing and quotation

generation via application

Maintenance after sales

Payback in shortfall of electricity

Buyers are typically not very
comfortable in providing rooftop and
electricity data to facilitate rooftop
solar installations. Hence app comes
to our rescue.

WEAKNESS
Low brand visibility
Fragmented targeting
Low product differentiation till now

OPPORTUNITIES
Subsidies and schemes (for ex: net

metering) started by Indian govt. to

support solar power.

Financing facilities being made

available to support newcomers
Flat top portable structures for easy
installation

THREATS
High
competition
from
solar
integrators in growing solar market
Big EPC companies trying to target
smaller markets(10-50KW)

Marketing Strategy
Market Segmentation
Criteria of Market Segmentation
1. Urban vs. Suburban vs. Rural
2. Residential vs. Schools/colleges vs. Malls/Entertainment Hubs vs. Commercial
vs. Industrial (Manufacturing) vs. Agri. Industry
Analysis of Market Segments
1. Urban vs. Rural
The company has been working in the NCR, Chandigarh, and Mumbai. This
has given them an insight into the likes and dislikes of urban consumers.
Also, the Urban Consumers are less price conscious while looking at long
term investments. These points will help in marketing Solar Power to the
23

urban population as opposed to the rural population. Another segment of

expansion can be the effluent class of suburban regions (Tier-2 cities).
2. Commercial vs. Industrial
Segregate commercial and industrial buyers into two different bundles. In
India, industrial category buyers pay a lower tariff to the state power utilities
than commercial category buyers. The cost of solar power is around ` 6-7/
kWh in India. Commercial buyers pay higher tariffs that are usually in the
range of ` 8-11/ kWh. Solar PV setup is considered convenient for such users,
as they offer a cheaper alternative to grid power. But for industrial category
buyers who usually pay around ` 5-7/ kWh for grid power, solar power is an
expensive alternative. Hence they only invest in it as for CSR and capital tax
benefits.
3. Agri-Industry vs. Manufacturing Industry
The agricultural industry in India is already highly subsidized with low
electricity tariffs of the range of 4-5/kWh. This makes solar power nonlucrative for them. In addition to this due to small land holding patterns, the
agricultural industry in India is highly labour intensive with low
mechanisation. Thus convincing them about the benefits of solar electricity
will be very difficult.

Figure 3: Perception Map

24

Targeting Criteria:
1. Approachability: The sectors should be approachable in clusters so as to
cover a number of leads with lesser human resource allocation.
2. Time for Break Even
3. Targeting small entities with not more than 100 KW power need.

Evaluation:
The creditworthiness of the buyers helps to mitigate the financial risks to
project developers and can reduce the cost of project financing.

Recommended Target Markets

1.
2.
3.
4.

Schools: Private school chains like DPS, DAV, etc. can be targeted.
Colleges: Government institutions, Pvt. Colleges, ITI, etc.
Small Pvt. Companies
Small Manufacturing Plants/factories.

Positioning:
The company could be positioned on the following:
1. Instant Budgetary Quote. App based PV Solar
aggregator. Use app and website to get more and save more.
2. Recognised by MNRE (so government subsidy)
and Intuit.
3. 9+ Years of experience and collaborations with
best Solar Panel Manufacturers.
4. After sales Annual Maintenance Package. We
deliver what we promise else we pay you for the inconvenience.

Positioning Statement:
An easy to use App for all solar power needs.
For Consumers
The easy to use features like snap and estimate provide quick financial
estimates for anyone who is conversant with using smartphones at the tap of
25

the screen. Brings all the EPCs to your fingertips to compare and decide.
AMC plans for after sales service. We deliver what we promise.
For the EPCs
Reduced cost of acquiring customers by the presence of single platform to
provide quotes and procure panels for installing.
For Manufacturers
Visibility to EPCs to compare and order your products.

Analysis of Solar Plant in different sectors and

Marketing Strategy to be used:
Our strategy will be to target the school chains, government institutions,
ITIs, private colleges and small and medium sized commercial setup in
specified locations. We will pitch our propositions to above entities by visiting
them and tell them the benefits of solar over other power sources and the
value propositions of choosing Sunkalp Energies over other competitors. To
commercial setup we will try to convince them on the idea of using
renewable energy sources to decrease their power cost as well as to reduce
carbon footprint plus the tax benefit in capital investments. In addition to
above our AMC plans to provide after sales services for maintenance and to
pay them from our own pockets in case the promised propositions are not
met.
Targeting school chains will help us in a way that if there is a single
conversion then we can cover all the branches of that school. Government
institutions usually get hefty grants from the government to improve the
infrastructure of the campus hence it would be easy for them to install solar
plants. Moreover the need of diesel power generators would be reduced
thereby decreasing the pollution. Private colleges can flaunt that they use
green energy hence increasing their solvability. Every entity to be targeted
would be given a presentations individually.
Moreover, we would do symposiums with MNREs to increase the public
awareness regarding Solar Energy. Secondly, increasing media coverage pin
pointing our firms supremacy to the consumers.

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Figure 4: Chart depicting tariff per unit in solar vs commercial in different states (India Solar Market
Facts, n.d.)

Action Plan:
Having strategized how to go about segmenting, positioning and targeting
here is how the new marketing mix will look like.
1. Product: Our product is now more of a service rather than a product.
We now focus on creating leads via an online platform and satisfying
EPC needs via an application developed to specifically meet their basic
Engineering (Designing), Procurement and Construction needs. For end
customers we provide a hassle free quote generating system based on
their requirements and connect them to requisite EPCs to cater to their
needs. For distributors app is a platform to showcase their products at
competitive prices.
2. Price: Pricing still remains similar to the previous price generation
scheme automatically generated from online platform. We aim to make
it Gold Standard platform for anyone wishing to obtain quotes for
their needs so that differential pricing from our competitors doesnt
exist. Quotation generation will be free of cost for any end customer
highlighting break even period as well as cost savings.
3. Promotion: While maintaining highlighting benefits of long term solar
power as well as contribution to environment via carbon footprint
reduction we wish to provide a referral scheme for end customers to
bring forward similar end customers. Bulk discounts for school and
college chains with multiple site installations in a given time frame.
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Most important of all we will provide AMC (Annual Maintenance

Contracts) through which we compensate you for any shortfall in
electricity generation to a limited amount. This is something not
provided by any of our competitors.
4. Place: We wish to keep targeting the same 6 cities as we have been
doing before but we now wish to differentiate in the sectors we earlier
targeted. Rather than one off schools we will target large chains like
D.P.S., D.A.V, Ryan etc. This way we generate multiple clients with
single stroke. We categorise commercial spaces into 3 separate
categories and highlight each plan separately. We will slowly expand
to areas around NCR like Manesar, Meerut where more commercial
sites exist and are upcoming and can incorporate solar costs in their
overall initial costs.

Profit and Loss statement

Analysis of a Schools Solar Power Plant
All calculations have been done with following basic assumptions.
A school with the good public name and wants to be a leader in lifestyle
statements. Up to 12th standard school with 4 sections in each class till 10th
and 6 sections in 11th and 12th due to a higher number of streams (namely
medical, non-medical, arts, commerce).
Each class consists of 30 students.
Area of each class is 600 sq. ft.
Each school building consists of 1+3 floors (because having more than that
floor requires having lifts which are generally avoided due to cost purposes).
Total number of classes = 10*4 + 2*6 = 52
Total class area = 52*600 sq. ft.
Total rooftop area = 52*600/4 = 7800 sq. ft.
Average energy requirement of a school will be 60Kw connected load (Based
on previous similar projects)
Total cost of project = 40 lakhs
Break Even period = 5 years
Area Utilization = 68% of total (Thus allows for future energy expansion)
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Sunkalps Margin = 8 lakhs (Assuming 20% margin on each project)

(More scope for detailed analysis exists with the inclusion of labs,
auditoriums, and libraries. But for simplicity of understanding they have
been excluded in area calculation)

ANALYSIS OF A COMMERCIAL SOLAR POWER PLANT

Case 1: Small commercial plants
For a 4 storeyed building with 3000 sq. ft. area for each floor
With a 40KW overall requirement for the 4 floors.
Total Rooftop area = 3000 sq. ft.
Total cost of Project = 25 lakhs
% electricity bill covered = 80%
Break even period = 6 yrs.
Roof top area utilized = 100%
Sunkalps Margin = 5 lakhs (Assuming 20% margin rates)
These type of commercial centres have been considered because they meet
approximate electricity utilization with the given rooftop area and are
prevalently present in NCR.
Case 2: Medium-sized commercial areas
For a 6 storeyed building with 10000 sq. ft. area for each floor
With an 80KW overall requirement for the 6 floors.
Total Rooftop area = 10000 sq. ft.
Total cost of Project = 52 lakhs
% electricity bill covered = 100%
Break even period = 6 yrs.
Roof top area utilized = 80%
Sunkalps Margin = 10 lakhs (Assuming 20% margin rates)
For another most prevalent form of commercial areas available in tier 1
cities.
Case 3: Large Commercial IT Parks
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For 8-10 storeyed buildings with 25000 sq. ft. area for each floor.
With a 200KW requirement across the floors
Total Rooftop area = 25000 sq. ft.
Total cost of Project = 130 lakhs
% electricity bill covered = 100%
Break even period = 6 yrs.
Roof top area utilized = 75%
Sunkalps Margin = 25 lakhs (Assuming 20% margin rates)

Contingency Plan:
If we fail to achieve what we are expecting i.e. to convert
a. Three school chains.
b. Five government institutions including ITIs.
c. 10 Private Colleges
d. Nearly 50 commercial entities.
Then we would target tier 2 cities with similar expectations. Also we would
try to target upcoming societies or housing plans being built by government
or private developers. They present an opportunity as they can include solar
installations in construction costs and would be a big selling point because
now people buying these have to pay reduced electricity bills.

References
Bridge to India. (n.d.). Retrieved from Tata: Bridge to India:
http://www.tata.com/pdf/BRIDGE-TO-INDIA-India-Solar-Rooftop-Map-2016.pdf
Cleanmax. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cleanmaxsolar.com/
Ezysolare. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ezysolare.com/
Hindu: WTO in Solar Panels. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/why-the-wto-is-right-in-the-solarpanel-dispute/article8305405.ece
India Solar Market Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.indiansolarmarket.com/rooftop-solar-in-india-latest-facts/
Indian Solar Market. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.indiansolarmarket.com/rooftop-solar-in-india-latest-facts/
Insolare. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://insolare.com/
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L&T. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.lntecc.com/homepage/RenewableEnergy/home.html
MNRE. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mnre.gov.in/schemes/decentralizedsystems/solar-rooftop-grid-connected/
PASTEL for Solar Panels. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/engineering/pestel-analysis-for-new-typeof-solar-panel-engineering-essay.php
Rooftop market in India. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.bridgetoindia.com/blog/rooftop-solar-market-in-india-witnessingrapid-growth-but-2022-target-seems-elusive/
Sunkalp Part 1. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://blog.sunkalp.com/solar-industrysperspective-on-the-indian-union-budget-2016-17/
Sunkalp Part2. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://blog.sunkalp.com/application-of-gst-inthe-rooftop-solar-industry-part-2/
Tata Power. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tatapowersolar.com/projects?
dept=QRVMCRFWoJUYrBTP
Tech by NDTV. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://gadgets.ndtv.com/others/features/thischennai-based-company-is-making-a-smart-backpack-867692

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