Rooftop solar is a simpler system than most people assume. There are four things involved: panels, an inverter, your existing wiring, and the grid.
1. Panels convert sunlight into DC electricity
A solar module is made of photovoltaic cells. When sunlight strikes them, they produce direct current electricity. Modules are wired together into "strings" so their voltages add up to a level the inverter can work with. The amount produced varies continuously through the day with the intensity of sunlight falling on the panel — which is why orientation, tilt and shading matter so much.
2. The inverter converts DC into usable AC
Your home runs on alternating current at 230 V. The solar inverter converts the DC coming down from the roof into AC, and — importantly — synchronises it precisely with the grid supply in frequency and phase. A grid-tied inverter will not export power if the grid is absent; that is a mandatory safety feature that protects utility staff working on the line.
3. Your appliances use solar power first
The AC output is fed into your main distribution board. Electrically, your appliances draw from the nearest available source, which means solar generation is consumed on site first. You only import from the grid when your consumption exceeds what the panels are producing at that moment.
4. Surplus goes to the grid — and is recorded
When generation exceeds consumption — a bright afternoon in an empty house, for example — the surplus flows out to the grid. A bi-directional net meter records both directions: units imported and units exported. Your bill is then calculated on the net position, according to your state DISCOM's policy.
What about at night?
A standard grid-connected system produces nothing at night; you simply draw from the grid, offset by the credit built up from daytime export. Systems with battery storage can store surplus for evening use, but batteries add materially to cost and have their own replacement cycle — worth it where supply is unreliable, often not worth it where it is stable.
What maintenance does it need?
Very little mechanically, since there are no moving parts in the array. What it does need is cleaning — dust accumulation is one of the largest avoidable causes of lost generation in India — along with periodic checks of connections, earthing, structure and inverter health.
How you know it is working
Most modern inverters report daily and cumulative generation, often to a phone app. The number worth watching is units generated per kW installed. If that figure drops without a change in weather, it is usually cleaning, shading from new growth, or a fault worth investigating.
This guide is general information, not technical or financial advice for a specific property. Figures are indicative and vary by location, tariff, site conditions and current policy. For a decision, get a site assessment. Talk to RIJARA ENERGY →