800kW Rooftop Solar for Rice Mills: The Hemraj Rice Mill Case Study
Location: Katwa, Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal Industry: Rice Milling & Food Processing System Size: 800 kW Rooftop Solar EPC Partner: SolarLogix Private Limited, Authorised EPC Channel Partner of TATA Power Solar
Rice mills are among the most power-hungry operations in West Bengal’s agro-industrial belt, running hullers, polishers, and dryers on near-continuous cycles. For any rice mill owner researching rooftop solar for rice mills, the Hemraj Rice Mill project in Katwa is one of the clearest real-world proof points available in the state: an 800kW rooftop solar system delivering measurable savings, without a single day of production downtime.
Rice mills and food processing units are also flagged by national renewable-energy planners as one of the priority MSME segments for rooftop solar adoption, given how energy-intensive the sector is. Hemraj Rice Mill’s project shows exactly what that looks like when executed well.
Why This Project Matters: A Real Rice Mill, Real Numbers
Most “solar for rice mills” content online is theoretical — load-profile guides and generic payback formulas. This is different: a commissioned, operating industrial solar EPC project in Katwa, West Bengal, with verified performance data.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Installed Capacity | 800 kW |
| Daily Generation | 2,848 units |
| Annual Savings | ₹88,35,920 |
| Return on Investment | 29.08% |
| Payback Period | 3.44 years |
A solar payback period under three and a half years, with a near-30% annualized ROI, is the kind of number that turns a “someday” project into an approved capital expenditure line.
The Engineering Challenge: Fitting Solar to a Working Mill Roof
Three problems had to be solved before a single panel went up:
- A facility-specific rooftop layout. Hemraj Rice Mill’s roof structure didn’t suit an off-the-shelf mounting kit — it needed engineering built around the building’s actual structural characteristics.
- Zero tolerance for downtime. As an active food processing facility, the mill couldn’t pause operations for installation.
- A defensible financial case. At 800kW, mill ownership needed hard numbers before signing off — not assumptions.
The Solution: Customized GI Sheet Rooftop Structure
SolarLogix’s answer was a customized GI sheet rooftop structure with tailored fabrication, engineered specifically for Hemraj Rice Mill’s facility layout — not a generic mounting system forced onto a non-standard roof.
This reflects how SolarLogix approaches every industrial solar EPC West Bengal project: treating solar as an engineering system — accounting for structure, space, load behavior, and long-term operations before installation begins, not after problems appear on-site.
The result:
- Seamless integration with the mill’s existing infrastructure
- No disruption to ongoing rice milling operations during installation
- Fabrication built to perform under the roof’s real-world constraints — dust, heat, and monsoon load include
Real-World Performance: Live Monitoring Portal Data
Projected numbers are one thing — actual, live-monitored performance years into operation is what really proves a system out. Hemraj Rice Mill’s plant has been running since June 2023, and its performance is tracked continuously through Tata Power’s remote monitoring portal.
Plant details on record:
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Plant AC Capacity | 800 kW |
| Plant DC Capacity | 800 kWp |
| Location | Katwa, West Bengal – 713130 |
| Commissioned By | Tata Power Co. Ltd |
| Commissioning Date | 12 June 2023 |
| Total Inverters | 8 |
| Total LT Mains | 1 |
| Total DG Sets | 1 |
Cumulative gains since commissioning:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue Gains | ₹60.5 Lacs |
| CO₂ Reduction | 1.6 mn Tons |
| Coal Saved | 554.9 KTons |
| Equivalent Trees Planted | 75,141.8 |
For a sense of day-to-day output, the plant’s daily energy log for a sample stretch in March 2026 shows generation consistently in the range of roughly 1,300 to 2,850 units a day across its 8 inverters — in line with the output levels the system was designed for, nearly three years after commissioning. That kind of sustained, monitored performance is the real test of whether a custom-engineered rooftop system holds up under actual mill operating conditions — not just on paper.
Environmental Impact
Beyond the balance sheet, the system delivers a measurable sustainability footprint:
- 16,593.76 metric tons of CO₂ offset annually — equivalent to roughly 19,480 acres of forest
- 8,229.52 metric tons of coal burn avoided — comparable to planting over 2.7 lakh trees
- Over 70 lakh liters of petrol consumption avoided — equivalent to more than 6.5 crore kilometers of driving offset
(These environmental figures are annualized project estimates; the cumulative monitoring portal data above reflects actual performance recorded since the plant’s June 2023 commissioning.)
read more about Hemraj Rice Mill
What Other Rice Mills and Food Processing Units Can Take From This
- A non-standard roof isn’t a dealbreaker. Custom structural engineering, not a generic mounting kit, is what makes solar work on older or irregular industrial roofs.
- Installation doesn’t require downtime. With the right fabrication approach, solar can go up on a live production facility.
- Large systems can still pay back fast. An 800kW installation with a 3.44-year payback proves scale doesn’t have to mean a slower return.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the daily and annual performance of the Hemraj Rice Mill solar system? The 800kW rooftop system generates approximately 2,848 units daily, translating into estimated annual savings of ₹88,35,920, a 29.08% ROI, and a 3.44-year payback period.
What kind of rooftop structure was used for this rice mill solar installation? A customized GI sheet rooftop structure with tailored fabrication, engineered specifically for Hemraj Rice Mill’s facility layout and existing infrastructure.
Does installing rooftop solar disrupt a rice mill’s operations? No. The tailored fabrication approach at Hemraj Rice Mill was designed for seamless integration with existing infrastructure, so installation proceeded without disrupting day-to-day milling operations.
Who installed the solar system at Hemraj Rice Mill? SolarLogix, an Authorized EPC Channel Partner of TATA Power Solar, designed and commissioned the project in Katwa, West Bengal.
Is the Hemraj Rice Mill solar system still performing well years after installation? Yes. Commissioned in June 2023, the plant is tracked continuously via Tata Power’s remote monitoring portal, which shows cumulative revenue gains of ₹60.5 lacs and consistent daily generation nearly three years into operation — real, monitored performance rather than projections alone.
How much can a rice mill save with rooftop solar in West Bengal? Results vary by mill size and roof area, but at Hemraj Rice Mill, an 800kW system delivered close to ₹88.4 lakh in annual savings with a payback period of under 3.5 years — figures that make the case for solar as an operational cost-cutting investment for energy-intensive rice mills.
Considering rooftop solar for your rice mill or food processing facility? Book a consultation with SolarLogix, Authorized EPC Channel Partner of TATA Power Solar, and see what a custom-engineered system could look like on your roof.
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Talk to Our Team: +91 833 788 7888 | contact@solarlogix.in
