Orb Energy
Bengaluru, IN · 5 known investors
Bangalore-based retailer and installer of solar PV and solar thermal systems in India.
Also known as Orb Energy Private Limited · Orb Energy Pvt. Ltd
Founders & leadership
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Orb Energy is a solar energy company headquartered in Bengaluru (Bangalore), India, founded in 2006 by Damian Miller and NP Ramesh, both formerly of Shell Solar. It manufactures solar photovoltaic panels in-house and provides turnkey solar electricity and solar water heating systems, covering system design, installation, servicing and financing for residential, commercial and industrial customers. Its product range spans rooftop systems from small residential capacities to multi-megawatt commercial and industrial configurations, ground-mounted systems, and options with or without battery storage, using monocrystalline silicon panels including N-type TOPCon modules with module efficiencies reported up to 22.55%. Panels carry a 25-year warranty, and a mobile application lets customers monitor generation, inverter status, system location weather and calculated savings.
The company is vertically integrated, operating its own manufacturing facility in Bangalore, a branch network across select Indian states, and an in-house credit facility for commercial rooftop customers. It is an ALMM-enlisted solar panel manufacturer under India's Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, and in January 2025 secured provisional ALMM enlistment for 90 MW of solar PV models. Beyond India, Orb Energy launched a Kenyan subsidiary in 2014 to replicate its Indian model in the African rooftop market, and its international markets have included Malaysia, Indonesia, Ghana and Kenya.
Orb Energy is backed by Shell, which acquired an almost 20% stake in October 2019, alongside Bamboo Capital Partners, Rianta Capital, Pamiga Finance SA and Dutch development bank FMO. Acumen Fund, an early investor from 2011, exited in 2020. A report by JMK Research places Orb Energy among the top three rooftop solar companies in India.
Founding story
Orb Energy was founded in 2006 by Damian Miller and NP Ramesh, former colleagues at Shell Solar, to address India's energy access gap with affordable solar alternatives to fossil fuels. Miller, who serves as CEO, holds a PhD from Trinity College, Cambridge on early commercialisation of solar technology in emerging markets, authored the book Selling Solar, and ran Shell Solar operations across Asian and African countries from 1998 to 2006, including establishing solar subsidiaries in India and connecting over 125,000 homes to solar power. Ramesh, the COO, brought more than 28 years in consumer electronics and solar PV and headed Shell Solar's India and Sri Lanka operations over the same period, and now oversees sales and operations across commercial, industrial and residential segments.
Business model
Orb Energy sells, manufactures, installs and services solar PV and solar water heating systems directly to end customers through its own branch network, and pairs equipment sales with an in-house finance facility that extends payment terms to commercial and industrial buyers. The financing is offered without collateral other than the rooftop solar system itself, with loan tenures intended to match the 3-4 year payback of the installed system, and includes collateral-free EMI options with zero downpayment. Vertical integration across manufacturing, distribution, installation and credit is used to control quality and cost.
Revenue derives from the sale and installation of solar photovoltaic and solar water heating systems for residential, commercial and industrial customers, together with in-house lending to commercial and industrial customers who finance their rooftop systems, plus after-sales service and maintenance.
Traction
Orb Energy reported approximately 250 employees in India, about 160,000 systems sold and roughly 170 MW of cumulative rooftop installations as of 2022, and approximately 350 MW of PV deployed across India as of January 2025, with company figures citing over 370 MW installed, more than 172,000 systems, over 92,000 clients and approximately 899,000 tonnes of CO2 offset. Its SME financing programme crossed Rs 300 crore in January 2025, a 750 kWp SME rooftop portfolio was deployed ahead of schedule under a Shell Foundation-linked finance pilot, its first 35 MW (DC) ground-mounted solar park in Arsikere, Karnataka opened in May 2024, and a 2.9 MW rooftop project for Mabati Rolling Mills in Kenya was delivered in September 2025. Its Android app has more than 5,000 downloads.
Latest developments
In September 2024 Orb Energy began a Series D fundraising process targeting $48 million. In January 2025 it crossed Rs 300 crore in cumulative SME solar financing and secured provisional ALMM enlistment for 90 MW of solar PV models, with approximately 350 MW of PV deployed across India. In September 2025 it delivered a 2.9 MW rooftop solar project for Mabati Rolling Mills in Kenya.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
JMK Research ranks Orb Energy among the top three rooftop solar companies in India. The company reports having sold about 160,000 solar systems in India with roughly 170 MW of cumulative rooftop installations as of 2022, rising to over 370 MW of PV capacity and more than 172,000 systems for over 92,000 clients in later company figures, and states a goal of exceeding 1 GW of installed capacity by 2030.
The combination of in-house solar panel manufacturing, an owned branch and service network, and a proprietary lending facility that offers SMEs uncollateralised, zero-downpayment financing with tenures matched to system payback distinguishes Orb Energy from providers that offer equipment or installation alone.
Technology
The company manufactures its own solar panels at a Bangalore facility, using high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon cells including N-type TOPCon modules rated up to 22.55% module efficiency, with capacities from 1 kW residential systems to multi-megawatt industrial configurations and optional battery storage. Panels are covered by a 25-year warranty. A customer mobile app provides hourly, monthly and yearly generation data, live inverter status, weather information for the system location and savings calculations, and larger installations have included remote monitoring systems.
Go-to-market
Direct sales through an owned branch network, which reached over 100 branches in Karnataka by 2015, supported by in-house financing that removes upfront cost and collateral barriers for SME buyers. International expansion has been pursued via a wholly owned Kenyan subsidiary established in 2014 that replicates the Indian model.
Residential, commercial and industrial customers in India, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, which the company describes as an under-served segment because of financing barriers. It also serves commercial and industrial clients in Kenya and other African markets.
Geography
Headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, with a direct presence in southern and western India as of January 2025 and manufacturing in Bangalore. International operations centre on Kenya, where a subsidiary established in 2014 serves the East African market and other African countries; other listed international markets include Malaysia, Indonesia and Ghana.
History
Operations began in 2006 with a first branch in Kumta, India, initially focused on residential solar PV and solar water heating. The company expanded across Karnataka, reaching more than 100 branches by 2015, and launched a Kenyan subsidiary in 2014 to serve the African rooftop market. In 2016 it introduced an in-house financing scheme for SMEs to address credit barriers to rooftop solar adoption. Funding milestones include $1.1 million from Acumen Fund in June 2011 (Acumen exited in 2020), $15 million in equity and debt from FMO and OPIC in July 2018, an almost 20% stake purchase by Shell in October 2019, an additional proposed €1 million equity investment from FMO in 2019, and a $20 million DFC loan announced in October 2022. In May 2024 it inaugurated a 35 MW (DC) ground-mounted solar park at Arsikere, Karnataka, in September 2024 it began a Series D fundraise targeting $48 million, and by January 2025 it had crossed Rs 300 crore in SME solar finance.
Risks & controversies
The Wikipedia article on the company carries an editorial notice, dated February 2026, stating that a major contributor appears to have a close connection with the subject and that the article may require cleanup for neutrality.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 15
launches, deals, and filingsOrb Energy delivered a 2.9 MW rooftop solar installation for Mabati Rolling Mills as part of Kenya's green transition efforts.
Orb Energy received provisional enlistment for 90 MW under India's Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for solar PV models.
The company's in-house, zero-collateral financing for SME solar adoption passed the ₹300 crore mark.
Orb Energy began a Series D fundraising process aiming to raise $48 million to further expand its solar energy solutions.
$48M source ↗
The 110-acre facility is expected to generate 5.24 crore units of electricity annually and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 45,000 tonnes per year.
Orb Energy announced raising about $20 million in a follow-on round from the US International Development Finance Corporation, receiving a first tranche of $10 million, to strengthen its in-house financing facility for rooftop and ground-mounted solar customers in India. It was DFC's second loan to the company.
$20M source ↗
The award recognised a 3 MW rooftop solar installation in Karnataka for Klene Paks Limited, featuring over 9,000 solar panels and a remote monitoring system.
Acumen announced its exit from solar provider Orb Energy.
Shell acquired an almost 20% stake in Orb Energy, supporting Shell's initiative to provide reliable electricity to 100 million people in developing countries by 2030.
Dutch development bank FMO proposed an additional equity investment of €1 million in Orb Energy in 2019.
The company raised about Rs 95 crore through a combination of equity and debt investments in 2018 to bolster its finance platform, with FMO and OPIC among key investors.
Orb Energy initiated an in-house financing scheme enabling small and medium enterprises to invest in rooftop solar PV, addressing financing barriers to adoption.
The company's branch network in Karnataka surpassed 100 locations.
Orb Energy expanded into Africa by launching a subsidiary in Kenya to replicate its Indian business model in the African rooftop solar sector.
Orb Energy was named first runner-up in the SME and NGO category of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, receiving a prize of US$1 million.
$1M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Orb Energy - Apps on Google Playplay.google.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Orb Energy do?
- Bengaluru-based vertically integrated solar company selling, manufacturing, installing and financing rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV.
- Who founded Orb Energy?
- Orb Energy was founded by Damian Miller.
- Who are Orb Energy's investors?
- Orb Energy's investors include Zouk Capital.
- Where is Orb Energy headquartered?
- Orb Energy is headquartered in Bengaluru, IN.