Off-grid solar for places with no electricity
Where the grid does not reach, or reaches for only a few hours, an off-grid solar inverter with a battery gives a home its own supply. It runs lights, fans, a TV and phone charging every evening without diesel, and it works the day it is fitted, without waiting for a connection.
Updated 27 September 2026
Who it helps
- A home in a village or dhani where the line has not been laid, or where supply comes for only a few hours.
- A dera, farmhouse or tubewell room out in the fields, far from the nearest pole.
- A shop, school room or dispensary that needs lights and fans in the evening.
- A site where getting a new connection would take months or cost more than the system.
What an off-grid inverter does
In an off-grid system, the panels charge a battery bank in the day, and the inverter turns battery power into normal 230 V AC for the house. In a solar PCU, the charge controller and inverter are in one box. Because there is no grid, nothing is exported and there is no electricity bill, but everything you use has to come from your own panels and batteries.
That makes it different from an inverter in a town, which charges its battery from the grid. An off-grid inverter’s only source is the sun.
What it can run
Start with the loads that matter most in the evening:
- LED lights, which use very little
- ceiling fans and a cooler
- a TV and a set-top box
- phone and torch charging
- a small fridge, on a larger system
Heavy loads such as an AC, a water heater, an iron or a large motor need a much larger inverter and battery bank, and they are where off-grid systems get expensive. Where you can, run them in the day, straight from the panels, or keep them off the solar system.
Where to start
| Need | UTL option |
|---|---|
| Lights and phone charging | Solar LED lighting system or solar power pack 12V/10A |
| Lights, fans and a TV | Gamma+ LiON 1200, with a 1.2 kWh lithium battery built in |
| A whole small home | 1 kW or 2 kW off-grid kit |
| A larger home, a fridge, more fans | 3 kW or 5 kW off-grid kit |
The off-grid calculator works out the size from the appliances you choose and the hours you run them.
Getting the size right
Most disappointment with off-grid solar comes from a system sized for a sunny summer day. Size it for the worst month instead. In Punjab that is December and January, when days are short and fog can cut output for several days running. Batteries also last longer when they are not run flat each night; we plan on using half of a tubular battery’s capacity and 80% of a lithium battery’s.
Why it beats a generator or kerosene
Once it is in, sunlight costs nothing, and there is no fuel to buy, carry or store. It makes no noise and no fumes. The cost is up front, and the batteries need replacing during the life of the panels. Off-grid solar or a diesel generator sets the costs side by side.
Looking after it
The panels need cleaning when dust builds up. Tubular batteries need distilled water topped up from time to time; see how to look after a tubular battery. Lithium batteries need no water; see how to look after a lithium battery.
We supply UTL off-grid equipment across India, and our own team installs in Mohali and the towns around it; see how to order. The kits and prices are on off-grid solar systems.
Questions we are asked
Can solar power a house with no electricity connection?
Yes. An off-grid system has panels, an inverter with a built-in charge controller, and batteries, and needs no grid at all. It has to be sized to make and store everything the house uses, including on short winter days.
What is the smallest off-grid solar option?
For lights and phone charging, a solar lighting kit or a small solar power pack. For lights, fans and a TV, UTL's Gamma+ LiON 1200 is an inverter with a 1.2 kWh lithium battery built in. For more, UTL off-grid kits start at 1 kW.
Is there a subsidy for off-grid solar in Punjab?
Not under PM Surya Ghar, which covers only grid-connected rooftop systems. For irrigation, PM-KUSUM Component B subsidises standalone solar pumps through PEDA.