KEN Global Designs has completed a major expansion of its rooftop solar energy installation, bringing total solar generation capacity to a level that now covers approximately 85% of the facility's total electricity consumption — a significant step forward from the 60% coverage achieved in our initial solar investment.
The expansion involved the installation of additional high-efficiency photovoltaic panels across the remaining roof area of our Ichalkaranji manufacturing facility, along with an upgraded inverter and grid-tie infrastructure that allows excess generation during peak solar periods to feed back into the local distribution grid.
The Scope 2 emissions reduction delivered by this expanded capacity is substantial. By displacing grid electricity — which in our region draws significantly from fossil fuel generation — with clean solar power, our manufacturing operations now produce approximately 75% fewer Scope 2 carbon emissions than a comparable grid-dependent facility. For our client brands who are required to report their supply chain emissions under frameworks including the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, our solar credentials contribute directly and measurably to their reported numbers.
"This is not a greenwashing exercise. The numbers are auditable," said our sustainability lead. "Every unit of solar generation is metered and documented. Brands who want to include our facility's energy data in their CSRD disclosures can do so with complete confidence in the accuracy of the figures we provide."
The investment in solar expansion was made possible in part by the capital access that came with our NSE SME listing. The financial case for solar at industrial scale is compelling — the payback period at current electricity prices is under four years — but the upfront capital requirement had previously constrained how quickly we could expand capacity.
Looking ahead, we are exploring battery storage options that would allow us to use solar-generated electricity during evening production shifts, potentially pushing effective solar coverage toward 95% on a 24-hour basis. We expect to make a decision on battery storage investment in the second half of 2025.