Indian renewables expand with solar ecosystem improvements
By EPR Magazine Editorial March 31, 2023 5:48 pm IST
By EPR Magazine Editorial March 31, 2023 5:48 pm IST
The following article briefly overviews the industries’ developments, difficulties, and possibilities. In addition, based on our current capacities, the industry is optimistic about generating more indigenous solar cells, technologies, and linked components.
The solar ecosystem in India is witnessing significant growth, with the government’s initiatives to create global players through the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. As one of the 11 leaders in PLI Tranche-2 for the solar vertical, Grew Energy is committed to manufacturing 4 GW of PV modules, 3 GW of PV cells, 300 tons per day of tempered glass, and the complete ecosystem, including other components such as the EVA back sheet, Aluminium frame, sealant junction box, etc. However, there are concerns about India’s current manufacturing capacity, which needs to be improved to meet the demand for solar modules, cells, and other components.
Manufacturing high-efficiency solar modules for utility-scale
The installed solar capacity in India is around 63.3–65 GW, with an allocated quantity of approximately 70–75 GW. However, the usable capacity for high-efficiency module manufacturing required for utility-scale projects in India and worldwide is estimated to be around 12-15 GW. In contrast, the remaining capacity is reserved for old technology modules unsuitable for utility-scale projects or global players. Therefore, despite the nameplate capacity of 39 GW, the usable capacity is currently limited, highlighting the need to increase manufacturing capacity and support the solar industry’s growth.
Investments in solar cell technology
Regarding solar cell technology, the current manufacturing capacity in India is 4.8 GW, which needs to be increased to at least 12 to 15 GW to support Indian players. The projected capacity is set to reach 33.6 GW, but the requirement is more than 30 GW. This means that a huge investment is required to increase the capacity in this segment, particularly for high-efficiency cells like M10 and G-12 wafers.
Additionally, there is a need for more players to enter the ingot, wafer, and cell capacity markets to support Indian module manufacturers.
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