How to Make a Solar Proposal PDF in 60

If you're still building solar proposals in Excel, WhatsApp images, or handwritten quotes, you're spending 45–90 minutes on work that should take 60 seconds. And while you're calculating, your competitor is already in the customer's WhatsApp inbox with a branded PDF.

The good news: the 60-Second PDF Formula reduces proposal creation to five data inputs and one tap. No design skills required. No template files. No manual subsidy calculation.

This guide walks through the exact steps inside QuickEstimate's Proposal Generator, what each field does, why it matters, and how the output PDF is built for both the customer and the DISCOM (Distribution Company) approval process.

Why a 60-second proposal matters for Indian solar sales

Speed is not just a UX improvement. It is a direct determinant of whether you close the deal.

Mercom India's 2025 India Solar Market Report found that residential solar buyers in India contact 3–5 vendors before deciding. The first vendor to send a complete proposal PDF, not a rough quote, a proper branded document, wins the deal 60% of the time. Speed signals professionalism and readiness.

For Imran, a solo installer in Aurangabad quoting 25–35 leads a month, the math is stark. At 45 minutes per proposal, he spends 19–26 hours a month just building documents. With the 60-Second PDF Formula, that drops to under 30 minutes total, freeing him to handle twice the leads without hiring anyone.

For Rohit's 12-person EPC in Surat, the speed multiplier is even more powerful because it applies to every rep on the team. If 6 sales reps each save 40 minutes per proposal and each sends 8 proposals a week, that's 32 hours of recovered selling time every week.

The 60-Second PDF Formula, 5 fields that build the full proposal

The 60-Second PDF Formula is QuickEstimate's core design principle: every piece of information needed for a complete, DISCOM-compliant solar proposal can be derived from exactly five customer-specific inputs. Everything else, brand logo, company details, subsidy calculation, unit economics, yield estimate, payback period, is pre-configured or auto-computed.

Field 1, Customer Name: The proposal cover page, the salutation in the covering letter, and the name on the subsidy application all pull from this field. Enter the full name as it appears on the electricity bill, this matters for PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy verification.

Field 2, System Size (kW): This single number drives the most calculations in the proposal. It determines the panel count, inverter size, estimated generation, annual savings, subsidy slab, and payback period. Enter the recommended system size in kW (e.g., 3 or 5), the app handles the rest.

Field 3, Site Address (PIN Code): The PIN code determines the solar irradiance zone, which feeds into the daily generation estimate. It also populates the DISCOM name on the proposal, a Surat PIN routes to DGVCL; a Pune PIN to MSEDCL; a Bengaluru PIN to BESCOM.

Field 4, Panel and Inverter Brand: Select from the pre-loaded equipment catalogue. This auto-fills the panel wattage, efficiency rating, warranty terms, and the DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) compliance status, critical for PM Surya Ghar subsidy eligibility.

Field 5, Project Price (₹): Enter the total system cost in rupees. The app displays the subsidy-adjusted net cost and calculates the payback period instantly. This is the figure the customer sees as their out-of-pocket investment after subsidy.

Step-by-step walkthrough inside QuickEstimate

Here is the exact flow inside the QuickEstimate Android app for generating and sending a proposal PDF.

1. 1

   Open the lead card or tap New Proposal

   From the Lead Management screen, open an existing lead and tap Generate Proposal, or tap the + button on the Proposals screen to start fresh. The customer name auto-fills if the lead already exists.

2. 2

   Enter the 5 fields

   Fill in customer name, system size, PIN code, equipment selection, and project price. The form is a single screen, no tabs, no back-and-forth. Takes under 60 seconds once you know the lead details.

3. 3

   Preview and confirm the PDF

   The app renders a live preview of the proposal PDF. You'll see the cover page with your logo, the system specification table, the subsidy and net-cost box, the savings chart, and the terms. Verify the subsidy calculation against the PM Surya Ghar slab before sending.

4. 4

   Send via WhatsApp, one tap

   Tap Send on WhatsApp. The app opens WhatsApp with the PDF attached and a pre-filled message including your rep name, company name, and a brief summary of the system and subsidy. The customer gets a professional PDF, not a screenshot.

5. 5

   Track the read receipt in the lead card

   When the customer opens the PDF, the lead card updates to show Proposal Opened with a timestamp. This is the trigger for automated follow-up, your Day 2 WhatsApp message fires automatically based on this event.

What the proposal PDF contains, page by page

Understanding the PDF structure helps you present it confidently to customers and know what to customise for different buyer profiles.

Cover page: Your company logo (top left), the customer's name and address, the date, and a headline showing the recommended system size and the headline number, usually the net consumer investment after PM Surya Ghar subsidy.

System specification table: Panel count, wattage per panel, total capacity (kWp), inverter brand and capacity, mounting structure type (rooftop/ground), and DCR compliance status. This table is what DISCOM engineers check during technical vetting for net metering.

Subsidy and cost breakdown: This is the section that converts customers. It shows the gross system cost, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy (auto-calculated per PM Surya Ghar National Portal slabs), any applicable state top-up subsidy, and the net consumer outlay. It also shows the EMI option if the customer is taking a concessional solar loan under IREDA financing.

Yield and savings chart: A 12-month bar chart showing estimated monthly generation (kWh) and estimated monthly savings (₹). This visual is the most powerful page, customers can see exactly how much they save in June vs December without doing any math themselves.

Payback period and ROI summary: A single-page summary showing the 25-year system lifecycle, the total cumulative savings, and the IRR (Internal Rate of Return) on the investment. For a guide on what exactly to include in a solar proposal to maximise conversions, see how to write a solar proposal.

Terms and next steps: Your warranty terms, the payment schedule, and the next actions, site survey booking, DISCOM application, and installation timeline. This section prevents the customer from having to ask basic process questions.

How to customise your proposal for different buyer types

The 5-field formula generates a standard proposal. For certain buyer segments, a few customisations materially increase conversion.

For the commercial segment, mention that 40% accelerated depreciation under the Income Tax Act significantly improves Year 1 ROI, your Excel tax guide for solar businesses covers this calculation in detail.

PM Surya Ghar subsidy auto-calculation, how it works

This is the feature that most impresses customers and most differentiates professional solar proposals from amateur ones. The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana subsidy is not a flat amount, it varies by system size according to official Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) slabs.

When you enter system size (Field 2) and project price (Field 5), QuickEstimate automatically looks up the correct slab, calculates the subsidy amount, and displays the net consumer outlay. No calculator. No lookup table. No possibility of getting the math wrong in front of a customer.

For more detail on PM Surya Ghar, see what is PM Surya Ghar Yojana and how to complete PM Surya Ghar vendor registration.

Common errors in manual solar proposals

Before QuickEstimate, most EPCs made these errors repeatedly. Understanding them explains why the 60-Second PDF Formula is designed the way it is.

The most damaging error is the wrong subsidy amount. According to CEEW (Council on Energy, Environment and Water)'s 2025 solar market survey, subsidy miscommunication is the top reason residential solar deals collapse after the proposal stage, the customer arrives at the DISCOM office expecting one subsidy amount and is told a different figure. QuickEstimate pulls the subsidy calculation from updated MNRE tables, not from a formula someone last edited in 2022.

From proposal to follow-up, the complete cycle

The proposal PDF is the start of the sales cycle, not the end. Once the customer receives the PDF, your follow-up sequence needs to fire within 48 hours. For the complete automated follow-up strategy, read the guide on automating follow-ups on WhatsApp for solar leads.

For best practices on the proposal structure itself, including how to present the ROI in a solar proposal and what to include at each stage, the solar proposal best practices guide covers the full picture. And for the follow-up sequence that converts proposals into signed deals, see the solar lead follow-up cadence with templates.

For managing the leads behind each proposal, the full pipeline strategy is covered in how to manage solar leads, the complete Indian installer guide.

How QuickEstimate fits

Imran in Aurangabad used to spend 60–90 minutes building each proposal on his laptop, then converting it to PDF, then sharing it via WhatsApp. He was quoting 8–10 leads a month because the process was too slow. After switching to QuickEstimate:

• He now sends proposals directly from his Android phone during or right after the site visit
• Customers receive a branded PDF with accurate subsidy amounts, not a photo of a handwritten quote
• He handles 25–30 leads a month with the same effort

• Proposal Generator, 60-second branded PDF with PM Surya Ghar subsidy auto-calculated, sent from your phone via WhatsApp.
• Lead Management, Every proposal links to a lead card, so you can see which proposals have been sent, opened, and followed up.
• WhatsApp Integration, One-tap send with read tracking; automated follow-up triggers fire from the same app.
• Reports & Analytics, See proposal-to-site-visit conversion by rep, by month, and by system size to know what's working.

Start free at QuickEstimate, 10 proposals per month, no credit card required.

What to do this week

Three actions that get your first 60-second proposal out the door:

1. 1

   Set up your company profile and equipment catalogue today

   Upload your logo, add your GST number, and load your 3–5 most common panel and inverter combinations into QuickEstimate Settings. This one-time setup makes every future proposal instant.

2. 2

   Generate a test proposal for a recent lead

   Pick a lead from the past week, generate their proposal using the 5-field formula, and review the PDF before sending. Verify the subsidy calculation matches the MNRE slab for their system size.

3. 3

   Train every rep on the proposal flow this week

   Show each of your sales reps the 5-step flow on their own Android phones. The goal: every rep can generate and send a proposal from a customer's site without calling back to the office. That's the speed advantage that wins deals.

Frequently asked questions

How does QuickEstimate generate the proposal PDF so quickly?

QuickEstimate pre-fills all non-variable content, your company logo, GST details, equipment specs, warranty terms, and PM Surya Ghar subsidy slabs, from your settings and a live MNRE data feed. The 5 inputs you enter per proposal (customer name, system size, PIN code, equipment, price) are the only truly variable fields. The PDF renderer combines these in under 3 seconds and produces a multi-page branded document ready for WhatsApp delivery.

Does the proposal PDF include the PM Surya Ghar subsidy automatically?

Yes. When you enter the system size in Field 2, QuickEstimate automatically looks up the correct MNRE subsidy slab and calculates the subsidy amount and net consumer outlay. For systems using DCR-compliant panels, the subsidy eligibility is confirmed. For non-DCR equipment, the proposal flags it and shows the calculation without subsidy. The subsidy table is updated in the app whenever MNRE revises the slabs.

Can I customise the proposal template with my own branding?

Yes. Your company logo, brand colour, company name, address, GSTIN, and CIN are set once in Settings and appear on every proposal. You can also add custom terms and conditions, a company tagline, and up to 3 testimonial lines. The core proposal structure and layout cannot be changed, it's designed to meet DISCOM technical review standards.

Is the proposal compliant with DISCOM technical requirements for net metering?

QuickEstimate's proposal includes the technical specification table that most DISCOMs require during the net metering application review, panel wattage, inverter capacity, mounting structure type, DCR status, and estimated annual generation. For specific DISCOM requirements in your state, check your DISCOM's solar rooftop guidelines, as requirements vary by state SERC regulations.

Can multiple reps use the same QuickEstimate account to generate proposals?

The Pro plan at ₹6,999/user/year supports multiple users with individual logins. Each rep generates proposals from their own account, and the proposals are linked to their lead records. Priya, as ops lead, can see all proposals across the team in the Reports dashboard, proposal count by rep, conversion rates, and pipeline value.

How does the system handle proposals for commercial (above 3 kW) systems?

For systems above 3 kW, the subsidy is capped at ₹78,000 per MNRE guidelines. QuickEstimate shows this cap clearly in the cost breakdown. For commercial systems above 10 kW that are typically not eligible for PM Surya Ghar, the proposal shows the gross cost with a note about MSME/C&I financing options and the 40% accelerated depreciation benefit available under the Income Tax Act.

What file format is the proposal, can I share it by email too?

The proposal is generated as a PDF, which can be sent via WhatsApp (one tap from within the app), shared via email using any email app on your Android phone, or downloaded to your device for printing. The PDF is mobile-optimised, it renders clearly on a customer's phone screen as well as A4 print.