An On-grid solar system aka a grid-tied solar system is connected to the grid. Most Indian households with a reliable grid connection count on the on-grid solar system for their electricity needs. And we, at Techkisan, specialize in installing on-grid rooftop solar systems for both independent homes and housing societies.

The on-grid solar power plant for home is a careful arrangement of different components:

1. Solar panels


2. Solar inverter


3. Mounting structures


4. Bi-directional meter


5. Solar accessories

When it comes to categorization, an on-grid solar power system installed for smaller applications like an individual home has different capacities: 2KW, 3KW, 5KW, 10KW, and so on.

A solar system, in general, can have a capacity much higher than 10KW, but the government provides a subsidy on residential installations for solar systems up to 10KW only. An average Indian household with a monthly electricity bill of ₹1500 to ₹3000 has a requirement of 2 to 3 KW only.

The working of an on-grid solar system for home

The generation of electricity in an on-grid solar system starts with solar panels and then goes through several steps to keep your house powered up during the day as well as at night.

Here's what happens when you install an on-grid solar system:

The exchange of electricity back and forth from the grid via the bi-directional meter is called net metering.

Components of the residential on-grid solar system

1. Solar panels

Solar panels in a solar grid for home are the most visible parts. They’re installed on the rooftop, facing the South direction. When sunlight falls on these panels, they absorb that sunlight and convert it into electricity.

The solar electricity directly from the panels is in the form of DC power. Since homes require alternating current (AC), there’s the need for a solar inverter to convert direct current into alternating current.

2. Solar inverter

The entire solar system would have been an impractical model had there been no solar inverter. The solar inverter takes up the role of converting DC into AC.

This conversion is essential because that’s the only way to convert electricity generated from an on-grid solar panel into a usable form (AC) that can run household appliances.

3. Solar mounting structures

These are the pillars that carry the weight of solar panels. They have to be of a standard grade so that they can withstand heavy winds during storms & cyclones and hold the weight of the solar panels for 25 years (that’s the life of a solar system).

The best solar mounting structures are prefabricated in precision labs. They’re coated with hot-dip galvanizing on steel to make them rust-proof.

They must be designed to sustain the wind speeds as defined for the installation location and height of the building.

4. Solar accessories

These include the AC and DC cables that are required for wiring solar panels and connecting different parts to make the entire solar grid functional.

The next most important accessories required to set up an on-grid solar system are DC combiner boxes and AC combiner boxes.

A DC combiner box works like an isolation box. All the cables carrying DC current from the panels are isolated in this box. DC power coming from the panels can be as high as 1000 volts, even more. It’s dangerous (potentially lethal); hence, the requirement of a DC combiner box.

This box feeds the DC current into the solar inverter and the solar inverter produces alternating current. This AC power is fed into an AC combiner box (all cables carrying the AC current from multiple inverters are combined in this box.)

Once the entire on-grid solar system is set up, earthing is done using earthing strips and wires.

5. Bi-directional meter

This is a smart tracking meter that is basically designed to keep a track of:

1. Electricity supplied to the grid
2. Electricity imported from the grid

An on-grid solar system does not get functional until and unless the regular meter is replaced with a bi-directional meter.

Net metering on on-grid solar system

The entire concept of an on-grid solar system works on the principle of net metering.

Net metering can be best understood as a means for the discom to keep a track of the power that was generated by the solar plant, the power that was consumed, the power that was supplied to the grid, and the power that was imported.

At the end of every month when the electricity bill is generated, the readings from the bidirectional meter give an account of :

1. How many units were supplied to the grid
2. How many units were taken from the grid

If you supplied more than you consumed, those units will be deducted from your bill. It will reduce the bill further.

If you had to use extra units from the grid on top of what your solar plant generated, those units would be added to your bill.

Top 8 benefits of using an on-grid solar system

A solar system is of 3 types: on-grid, off-grid, and hybrid.

Although there are three types, it’s the on-grid solar system that’s used and trusted by most homeowners in India.

Naturally, there ought to be some extraordinary benefits of an on-grid solar system for home.

Those are the benefits we’re focusing on :

1. It’s easy to keep a track of the units of electricity that your solar system generated.
2. It’s easier to understand the solar electricity bill.
3. Once the solar on-grid system’s price breaks even in 4 to 5 years, you get free solar electricity for the next 20-21 years.
4. The monthly electricity bill reduces substantially.
5. There’s no battery requirement. Your grid plays the role of the battery. The system will directly supply excess units to the grid and take them back when needed.
6. Since there’s no battery, there are no battery replacement charges involved.
7. Out of all the 3 types of solar systems, the on-grid solar system for homes is the most affordable option.
8. The government offers a subsidy only on an on-grid solar system for residential homes.