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Why solar prices keep changing

Nobody is hiding a stable price from you. The rate really does move.

The short version

  • • Panels are imported and bought in dollars, so the rupee moves the price.
  • • A short validity on a quote is honest, not a trick.
  • • Every month you wait, you pay a full electricity bill.

The rate genuinely moves, sometimes within a month. The reasons are boring and public.

What moves the number

  • The rupee. Panels and inverters are bought in dollars.
  • Stock. A seller holding older stock can charge less until it clears. Two honest sellers can quote different prices in the same week.
  • Duties and taxes. These change by announcement, so prices jump rather than drift.
  • Season. Demand rises with the heat, and a busy company discounts less.

Ask this, in these words

"How many days is this price valid, and what happens if the rate moves after I pay the first instalment?" Get the answer written on the quote.

Should you wait for prices to drop?

Do this sum with your own bill.

Every month you wait, you pay a full electricity bill. If your bill is Rs 25,000, then six months of waiting costs you Rs 150,000.

For waiting to be worth it, the system price has to fall by more than that, in those six months.

That is not a prediction. It is just the number the drop has to beat.

How to buy without gambling

  • Compare on price per watt, so old and new quotes match up
  • Get the validity period in writing
  • Ask if the stock is in the country or still on order
  • Take all three quotes in the same week
  • Ignore countdown pressure. Real stock is still there tomorrow morning

It shows the average per-watt rate, and the date it was last measured.

Check the price index

Common questions

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