Sewing the Seeds of Solar- How Candi Solar Powered Up Textile Mills in Telangana
Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills stands as a beacon of excellence in the Indian textile industry, with over five decades of market leadership in premium yarns and denim manufacturing. As a leading Original Denim Manufacturer (ODM) for top global and domestic brands, Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills prides itself on producing high-quality denim across its end-to-end manufacturing plants. To maintain its competitive edge in a dynamic market and enhance profitability, the company sought a sustainable energy solution that aligned with its commitment to reducing operational costs and supporting environmental initiatives.
What Suryalakshmi was Looking For:
As an industry leader, Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills was actively exploring ways to optimise its energy usage and enhance operational efficiency
- Reducing Operational & Power Costs: The high energy intensity of textile manufacturing processes meant electricity was a substantial portion of the company’s operational costs. With escalating operational and power costs, Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills needed an effective solution to reduce expenses and improve efficiency.
- Going Green for Operations: Sustainability was a key objective for Suryalakshmi, which was looking to decrease its carbon footprint and integrate renewable energy into its production processes. The company aimed to achieve long-term environmental goals while gaining an operational advantage through cleaner, more reliable energy sources.
Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills, Hyderabad, Telangana
Solution:
Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills partnered with Candi Solar to implement a tailored solar energy solution to address these objectives. Their solar journey started with a 3 MW ground-mounted solar installation, optimised for solar irradiation capture to ensure maximum energy yield and operational efficiency. This is a captive solar plant and operates under "behind the meter" policy meaning the power generated is consumed directly by the facility, reducing dependency on external grid electricity.
Building on the success of the ground-mounted installation, Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills expanded its solar capacity with a 1.5 MW rooftop installation, followed by an additional 1 MW rooftop system. These rooftop installations were strategically positioned to take advantage of the facility’s available roof space, ensuring maximum solar generation while minimising shading and other efficiency losses.
Candi Solar provided a customised financial model to ensure the solar installations delivered optimal economic returns. This model enabled Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills to own solar assets while benefiting from favourable financial terms. Under this model, Candi Solar funded the solar investment, allowing Suryalakshmi to preserve its credit line with the bank while enjoying attractive interest rates and accelerated depreciation benefits. In this arrangement, Candi Solar served as a project management consultant, overseeing the installation and ensuring optimal performance of the solar systems.
This model was coupled with a dedicated Operations & Maintenance (O&M) contract, which included regular monitoring, performance analysis, and maintenance services to ensure that the installations operated at peak efficiency throughout their lifecycle.
Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills, Hyderabad, Telangana
Result:
The partnership between Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills and Candi Solar delivered impressive results. The company experienced a 30% reduction in grid power consumption, which translated into a 30% decrease in overall power costs. This significant cost savings not only improved the company’s bottom line but also enhanced its energy efficiency and business continuity.
From an environmental perspective, the solar systems have made a profound impact. In 2023 alone, the installations mitigated over 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and are expected to reduce Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills' carbon footprint by nearly 5,000 tons of CO2 in 2024. Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills is on track to achieve its sustainability goals, reinforcing its leadership in the global textile industry.
“We initially installed a 3 MWp ground mount system with Candi Solar and later extended it by adding a 1.5 MWp rooftop system, followed by another 1 MWp rooftop installation. Throughout all three projects, we’ve experienced excellent support, advice, and cooperation from the Candi team.
Candi has a great team that responds swiftly to any questions or concerns we have. They not only act quickly but also carefully consider our proposals, ensuring that the best panels, zero-export devices, RPR systems, and other necessary equipment are installed. We’re thoroughly satisfied with their service, which is why we trusted them for all three installations.”
— Mr. Narayan, President of the Suryalakshmi Cotton Mills
Check out their full story in the video below:
The challenge
Lower electricity costs
In 2025 alone, the system delivered:
R622,159
in electricity savings
1.4 GWH
of clean energy generated
1,800 TONNES
of CO₂ emissions avoided
The result is not only a more resilient operation, but a more cost-efficient and sustainable one too
One Successful Phase Deserves Another
The performance of the first phase gave Bracken Timbers the confidence to go further.
Following its success, the company approved an additional 540 kWp expansion. Once complete, the expanded system is expected to increase annual electricity savings to approximately R1.1 million, while covering even more of the sawmill's daytime energy needs.
Every time the power went out, production slowed. Delivery schedules became harder to maintain, customer commitments came under pressure, and the disruption extended far beyond the factory floor - to suppliers, customers and the company's 1,500-strong workforce.
The team explored generating electricity using its own wood waste, including sawdust and bark. While it was technically possible, building, operating and maintaining an energy plant would require specialist expertise outside its core business.
Bracken Timbers knew what it needed: a reliable energy solution and an experienced partner to make it happen.
The solution
Candi Solar designed and financed a 1.5 MWp solar installation through its Performance-Linked Instalment Sale (PLIS) model.
In simple terms, Bracken Timbers did not need to make a heavy upfront investment or take on the operational risk of managing a solar plant.
Instead, the business pays for the energy the system generates, while Candi takes responsibility for its performance, maintenance and long-term optimisation.
That means the Bracken Timbers team can remain focused on what it does best: producing quality structural timber - while its solar system gets on with producing reliable, more affordable energy.
The impact
Production Keeps Moving
The solar system was integrated with Bracken Timbers' existing backup generators, helping the sawmill continue operating for full nine-hour shifts during load shedding.
So, while grid interruptions continue to bring production to a halt for many manufacturers, Bracken Timbers can keep its mill running, stay on schedule and continue fulfilling customer orders.
Most importantly, this increased energy stability helps protect consistent employment for more than 1,500 people.
“
The partnership has delivered exactly what was promised. As the solar system operates over time, the financial and operational benefits will only continue to grow.
George Johnson,
Director, Sawmill & Charcoal,
Bracken Timbers
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