Utilizing Rooftop Solar Systems as Social Gathering Points in India

Shreya Mishra is the CEO and Co-founder of SolarSquare, a venture-backed startup dedicated to driving the growth of residential rooftop solar installations in India. In late 2022, they successfully secured a series A funding round led by Elevation Capital, with participation from Lowercarbon Capital and others.

In this episode, Shreya and Cody discuss the elements necessary for market adoption of rooftop solar in India, including consumer sentiment, financing options, permitting, government subsidies, net metering policy, system maintenance, and even the form factor of the panel installation setup itself, due to the unique nature of many Indian rooftops. And she recounts the ways in which SolarSquare is supporting or innovating in each of these areas. She's building an ambitious company and we enjoyed learning about the Indian context surrounding rooftop solar.  This is a big topic, and this episode covers a lot of ground.  

In this episode, we cover: 

• [01:48]: Shreya's journey from fashion tech founder to solar entrepreneur
• [04:07]: How Shreya learned the ins and outs of the solar industry 
• [07:22]: The evolution and key inflection points of the Indian solar market
• [11:33]: India's policies for residential solar
• [13:46]: How India is streamlining processes with a National Solar Portal
• [16:31]: The permitting process for homeowners with a solar setup
• [21:50]: Sectors and regions with the highest solar adoption rates
• [25:43]: How SolarSquare addresses challenges unique to the Indian market, including roof architecture, cyclone risk, and lack of professional solar service providers
• [28:03]: A deeper dive on SolarSquare's modular prefabricated solar pergolas
• [35:59]: The emergence of financing options for residential solar in India
• [43:08]: SolarSquare's staffing and focus on operational excellence over marketing 
• [46:07]: The role of large corporate players in the solar market 
• [48:34]: SolarSquare's financing history
• [52:02]: How India's economic growth is driving increased electricity consumption and Shreya's vision for the future
• [55:10]: SolarSquare is hiring!

Get connected:

• Shreya Mishra LinkedIn
• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / Instagram

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Episode recorded on Oct 3, 2023 (Published on Oct 19, 2023)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant