Over the last few years, the world has been shifting to renewable energy in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. Commercial, nonprofit and public entities have been leading this transition. Yet, when it comes to retail consumers, most are still not sure how to adopt solar energy in their lives.
“We strive to be a conversation-starter brand in this regard,” says Amit Barve, business unit head of solar business, Panasonic Life Solutions India. According to him, adoption of solar energy in business-to-consumer (B2C) is yet to gain the required momentum in India. Panasonic Life Solutions India is thus soon going to launch residential solar kits for the B2C segment, especially homeowners. The kits are a one-stop-solution with the brand assurance of Anchor by Panasonic. These are easy to install and maintain, and promise maximum savings in electricity bills.
Barve said, “We would be launching our solar residential kits in Maharashtra which has the highest potential for solarisation on pilot basis and then scale up within the state as well as other states for rapid adoption. Our sales to end-users would be handled by system integrators (SIs), who would also be responsible for installation, while the kits would be distributed by a local distributor, making the product available locally for quick turnaround.”
Till now, Panasonic’s focus has been on the Indian B2B market, providing holistic solutions, from studying feasibility for adoption of solar energy to completing design, engineering, supply, installation and even operation & maintenance for commercial and industrial customers (C&I). It has completed more than 50 projects, with more than 100 MWp of solar systems on rooftops, ground mounts, and even agro voltaics.
On the decision to broaden its focus to cover the B2C market, Barve pointed out that Panasonic has a robust pan-India distribution network and caters to the B2C area with high-quality goods, thanks to heritage in the Electrical Construction Material (ECM) business. “Over the years, we have gathered rich consumer insights around the need for an end-to-end branded solar solution in the residential space,” he said, adding, “the endeavour is to be the trusted partner throughout the consumer’s solar journey.”
According to him, residential property owners in tier II cities and further down, seek a brand that can hand-hold them in making the correct choice; right from technology to design to final installation and after-sales services.
“Our strategy around residential solar kits is to bundle supply along with effective services so that residential consumers get the performance that they expect from installation to being an active contributor towards supporting a green cause,” says Barve.
NEW FOCUS
The solar kits will be launched under the Anchor by Panasonic brand name
These will be first launched in Maharashtra on pilot basis and then in other states
Sales to end-users will be handled by trained system integrators (SIs)