Site surveysCEIG & DISCOM approvalsMulti-state complianceProcurement & O&M

Helping Solar EPC Companies Improve Operations with AI, Automation & Software

Every Solar EPC company runs a different mix of rooftop, open-access and government-scheme work — different regulators, different documents, different bottlenecks. We map how yours actually runs, then apply AI, automation or software only where it removes real work.

Request a Business Workflow Assessment

A Business Workflow Assessment on one process of your choice, before anything gets built.

Two delivery pathwaysOn-site rooftop net metering and off-site open access/group captive run under different regulators — we find out which one applies before recommending anything.
State-by-state approvalsCEIG and DISCOM requirements vary by state — Karnataka alone exempts rooftop systems under 1 MW from CEIG clearance.
CAPEX or OPEXOwnership model changes financing, contracts and reporting downstream — we don’t assume one.
Not always AIAutomation, existing software or a straightforward integration, chosen to fit the problem.
Understanding your business

Every Solar EPC company runs a different mix of work.

"Solar EPC" isn’t one workflow. A company running rooftop net-metering projects deals with DISCOM applications and CEIG safety approvals. A company running off-site open access or group captive projects is coordinating an SPV, member equity and wheeling agreements — a different regulatory chain entirely, and a timeline measured in months rather than weeks. Many companies run both, sometimes alongside government-scheme work like PM-KUSUM. Before we recommend anything, we find out which of these your business actually runs, and what "operations" means for that mix.

Typical Solar EPC workflow

Lead to long-term maintenance, at a glance.

This is the common shape for on-site rooftop C&I work. Off-site open access and group captive projects add SPV formation, member onboarding and wheeling approvals on top, and typically run 12–18 months end to end rather than weeks.

STAGE.01

Lead & feasibility

Financing model (CAPEX vs OPEX/PPA) decided here.

Sales enquiry, roof/site survey, load profile and shadow analysis, sanctioned-load check — and the CAPEX-vs-OPEX/PPA decision that forks everything downstream.

STAGE.02

Engineering & design

Output: SLD, layout, structural + electrical calcs, BOQ.

Single-line diagram, module layout, structural calculations, cable routing and equipment bill of quantities — the documents CEIG approval and the net-metering application both depend on later.

STAGE.03

Contract & procurement

EPC agreement signed, plus a PPA if OPEX.

EPC agreement executed (and a Power Purchase Agreement if the client chose OPEX/RESCO), then modules, inverters, mounting structure and balance-of-system components sourced.

STAGE.04

Installation

Earthing per IS 3043, lightning/surge protection per IS 16942.

Mounting structure erected, modules placed, DC/AC wiring run, earthing and lightning/surge protection installed to code.

STAGE.05

Regulatory approval

Two state-level authorities: CEIG, then DISCOM.

CEIG electrical safety approval (drawing approval, then post-install inspection) and the DISCOM net-metering application both run — thresholds, portals and sequencing all vary by state.

STAGE.06

Commissioning & handoff

Bi-directional meter installed, system energized.

DISCOM installs the bi-directional meter, the system is tested and energized, and the documentation package — contract, approvals, as-built, warranty — is handed to the client.

STAGE.07

Monitoring & O&M

Runs for the life of the system.

Ongoing performance monitoring and maintenance — the part of the relationship that outlasts the project itself.

Common operational bottlenecks

Where friction tends to concentrate, by department.

The exact bottleneck depends on which pathway you run and how the team is structured — this is where it shows up most often across the workflow above.

Sales & feasibility

Two different sales conversations, one team

A CAPEX deal and an OPEX/PPA deal aren’t the same sale — one is a purchase, the other is a 15–25 year contract with a financing partner. Quoting and negotiating them the same way costs deals or margin.

Engineering & design

A design error surfaces stages later

Structural certificates, earthing and lightning-protection plans produced at design feed straight into the CEIG approval package — a mistake here often isn’t caught until the approval stage, not immediately.

Procurement

Sourcing tied to a design that isn’t final

The BOQ and equipment spec come out of engineering. When design and procurement aren’t tightly sequenced, a late design change means re-ordering, not just re-scheduling.

Regulatory & approvals

No single approval playbook

CEIG thresholds and DISCOM net-metering rules are set state by state — Karnataka exempts rooftop systems under 1 MW from CEIG clearance, other states don’t. A company operating across states can’t run one checklist.

Installation & commissioning

Two approvals, two timelines to track

CEIG drawing approval, post-install inspection and the DISCOM net-metering application run in parallel with state-specific sequencing — the plant can’t commission until all three close out.

O&M & support

The part of the job with no fixed end date

Monitoring and maintenance run for the life of the system, long after the project team has moved on to the next site — often the least standardized part of the operation.

Where technology creates value

The fix is chosen to match the problem, not the other way around.

Depending on what the assessment finds, that might mean AI, automation, software you already have, a custom build, or connecting systems that don’t talk to each other.

AI

Where the work is genuinely unstructured

Reading site-survey photos, pulling data off inverter/module datasheets, drafting a first-pass CEIG or net-metering submission — tasks where the input varies but the first pass shouldn’t be manual.

Automation

Where the steps are already fixed

Status updates between design, procurement and installation, or triggering the next document once a stage closes out — no AI required, just a handoff that currently relies on someone remembering.

Existing software

Where a tool already exists

Sometimes the fix is configuring or better using what you already run — a CRM, an ERP, a project tracker — not building something new next to it.

Custom software

Where nothing off-the-shelf fits

Tracking a project through two different regulatory chains — rooftop vs. open access — across multiple states, with different documents at each stage. Generic project tools rarely model that correctly.

Integrations

Where systems exist but don’t talk

Design output, procurement records and the CEIG/DISCOM submission package usually live in different places. Connecting them removes the manual re-entry between stages.

Our approach

Understand. Analyze. Recommend. Build. Improve.

You see it working before you commit to it — the first two steps are a conversation and a close look at one workflow.

PHASE.01

Understand

Discovery, not a pitch.

We start inside your workflow, not a demo — which pathways you run, how the team is structured, and where you say time actually gets lost.

PHASE.02

Analyze

Workflow mapped stage by stage.

We map the process end to end — every handoff, every document, every approval — and separate what’s broken from what’s just slow.

PHASE.03

Recommend

Technology fitted to the problem.

We recommend the smallest fix that solves it — automation, integration, existing software, or a custom build. If something that already exists does the job well, that is what we say.

PHASE.04

Build

Tested on your real workflow.

Built against your actual process and tested by the team who’ll use it, not against a demo environment.

PHASE.05

Improve

Maintained as your operations change.

Solar operations shift with regulation, scale and whichever pathway you take on next. We stay on to adjust the fix as they do.

FAQ

Before you ask.

Do you only work with rooftop C&I, or open access and government-scheme projects too?

Whichever mix your business runs. Rooftop net metering, off-site open access/group captive, and government-scheme work like PM-KUSUM are operationally different — we find out which ones apply to you before recommending anything.

Do you handle CEIG or DISCOM approvals for us?

No — those are regulatory processes you or your existing team run. What we look at is the paperwork and tracking around them: whether documents are ready on time, whether status is visible without someone checking manually, and whether the process repeats across the states you operate in.

Is the fix always AI?

No. Depending on what we find, we might recommend automation, better use of software you already have, a straightforward integration, or a process change with no build at all. AI is one option among several, not the default.

What if we run rooftop and open-access projects at the same time?

That’s common, and it’s exactly what we map before recommending anything — the two pathways have different regulators, different documents and different timelines, and a single generic process rarely fits both.

What does the Business Workflow Assessment involve?

We spend time inside one workflow you choose — the one taking the most time — and document exactly where it breaks down, before anything gets built.

How long does an assessment take?

2–3 business days for the assessment itself. Build timelines depend on scope and are agreed afterward, once we know what’s actually being built — if anything needs building at all.

Contact

Show us one workflow that’s slowing your team down.

Site survey to sign-off, procurement to CEIG paperwork — email us the process that eats the most time each week. If we can’t improve it, we’ll say so on the call.

Email us one workflow that's slowing you down

aditya@solutionhaven.netsiddhartha@solutionhaven.net