If you have collected two or three rooftop solar quotes in Jodhpur, you have probably noticed something confusing: the same system size can come back with prices that differ by a lakh or more. That gap is rarely random, and it is rarely because one installer is being greedy. It is almost always because the two quotes contain different things.
This post explains what actually sits inside a solar price, so you can compare quotes on equal terms instead of picking the lowest number and finding out later what was missing.
Panels are the largest single line item. Two things matter here.
The first is whether the modules are on the MNRE ALMM list (Approved List of Models and Manufacturers). If you want the PM Surya Ghar subsidy, they must be. A quote with cheaper non-ALMM panels can look attractive until the subsidy claim fails.
The second is the manufacturer. "Tier-1" gets used loosely in sales conversations — it is a financial rating of the manufacturer's bankability, not a quality grade of the panel. What actually protects you is the written warranty from a company likely to still exist in twenty years.
Ask for the exact model number and wattage, then check it against the ALMM list yourself. It takes two minutes.
The inverter is the component most likely to need replacing within the life of your system, and its warranty is far shorter than the panels'. This is where quotes quietly diverge: two proposals can both say "5 kW inverter" while meaning very different equipment.
Ask for the make, the model and the warranty period in years.
The part nobody photographs and everybody underestimates. A hot-dip galvanised structure specified to the correct wind-load class costs meaningfully more than painted mild steel, and in a region with dust storms that difference matters.
Elevated structures — the kind that let you keep using the terrace underneath, or that avoid drilling into an older RCC slab — cost more again. That is a legitimate reason for one quote to be higher.
This is where most of the surprise cost lives. Check whether each quote includes:
A quote that is ₹80,000 cheaper because it excludes four of these is not cheaper.
Obvious, but worth stating in a way that changes a decision: cost does not scale neatly with capacity, because the central subsidy does not. More on that below.
The PM Surya Ghar slab is published and fixed:
So the maximum central subsidy is ₹78,000, and a 3 kW system already reaches it.
This has a consequence people miss. A 10 kW system receives the same ₹78,000 as a 3 kW system, so the subsidy covers a much smaller share of a larger project. When you compare "cost after subsidy" figures across different system sizes, you are not comparing like with like.
Two more things worth being clear about:
“The subsidy is not a discount on your invoice. You pay the installer the full agreed amount, and the government credits the subsidy directly to your bank account after installation and DISCOM inspection. Budget for the gross figure and treat the subsidy as a reimbursement.
Current rules and amounts are published at pmsuryaghar.gov.in. Government schemes change — check the portal rather than trusting any installer's website, including ours.
[VERIFY: Rajasthan state subsidy.] Some sources indicate Rajasthan offers an additional state-level amount on top of the central subsidy. Confirm the current figure and eligibility with the state portal or JdVVNL before relying on it.
[VERIFY: insert your current price ranges for 3 kW, 5 kW and 10 kW here before publishing this post.] Give a range rather than a single figure, and state plainly what the range includes and excludes. A range you honour is worth more than a low number you revise after the survey.
Put them side by side and fill in this grid. If an installer will not give you a written answer to any row, that itself is the answer.
| Quote A | Quote B | |
|---|---|---|
| Panel make, model, wattage | ||
| On ALMM list? | ||
| Inverter make, model, warranty | ||
| Structure material and wind-load class | ||
| Earthing pits included? | ||
| Surge protection included? | ||
| Cable run included, up to what length? | ||
| DISCOM fees included? | ||
| AMC included, for how long? | ||
| Payment schedule | ||
| What is explicitly excluded |
The cheapest quote in Jodhpur is usually cheapest because something is missing from it — most often earthing, structure grade, or the cable run. The most expensive is not automatically the best either. What you are looking for is the quote that tells you exactly what you are getting, in writing, before you pay anything.
If you want a straight comparison of a quote you have already received, send it to us on WhatsApp. We will tell you what is in it and what is not, even if you do not buy from us.