Numeric Power to enter solar panel assembling biz

The company will buy solar cells from suppliers in Japan and Germany and configure panel modules and assemble them

The company is planning a 1-MW solar project at Palladam in Coimbatore, where it has a 1.5-MW windmill farm


Mr R. Chellappan, Managing Director, Numeric Power Systems

R. Ravikumar
Chennai, March 27 Chennai-based Numeric Power Systems Ltd, a major player in
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, is planning to enter solar panel assembling business.

Mr R. Chellappan, Managing Director, said the company will buy solar cells from suppliers in Japan and Germany and configure panel modules and assemble them.

“We are also toying with the idea of foraying into the precision air-conditioning space with a strategic partner,” he said.

The company offers total solar power solutions and LED lighting solutions, besides offering products including solar PV panels (currently imported as panels), under amorphous and crystalline cell-based technologies, solar charge controllers and grid-tied inverters.

It has executed three solar power projects with total generation capacity of 200 kKWp for captive consumption at its facilities in Chennai, Puducherry and Salem, besides over 100 installations for many banks and other clients.

“We are now planning a 1-MW solar project at Palladam in Coimbatore, where we have a 1.5-MW windmill farm,” he said. The company has chalked an investment budget of Rs 25 crore for the purpose. “We may require another Rs 5 crore to set up a panel assembling facility there.”Market share

The Rs 430-crore Numeric Power has 20 per cent share of the market in UPS systems. Of this, Mr Chellappan said, 20 per cent comes from the small office, home office and SME segments; 30 per cent from the banking, financial services and insurance sector; 30 per cent from corporate clients, while the high-capacity segment such as healthcare, IT and telecom sectors fetch 20 per cent.

Last year, Numeric grew over 40 per cent. However it may not grow more than 10 per cent this year “due to slowdown”.

The company is a major player in powering ATMs. “In India, close to 80 per cent of the total 32,000 ATMs installed is powered by us,” he said.

On the LED lighting systems front, Numeric offers products for indoor and outdoor applications, including solar street lighting systems and decorative lighting systems.

HCL tie-up
Besides, Numeric has teamed up with HCL to power Pan-African e-networking project for linking hospitals and educational institutions in the continent with their counterparts in India for telemedicine and distance education, in addition to various other e-connectivity projects there.