Factory to produce solar panels using robots PHOTO By News Bureau
India to require exclusively local solar energy components from 2026
Around 70% of India's solar power generation capacity is powered by Chinese equipment, according to industry estimates
By AFP - Agence France Presse
INDIA RENEWABLE ENERGY
Indian clean energy companies will only be able to use locally-built solar modules from June 2026, according to a government order apparently aimed at reducing Chinese imports.
The leaders of India's clean energy sector, including the conglomerates Reliance Enterprises and Tata Power, rely on Chinese suppliers as their main suppliers.
Around 70% of India's solar power generation capacity is powered by Chinese equipment, according to industry estimates.
Indian companies are already required by law to use locally manufactured solar panels in government projects.
The new rule states that only modules made from locally manufactured photovoltaic cells, which convert light energy into electricity, can be used in projects with a bidding deadline after Monday's order.
“This condition will have to be followed irrespective of the date of commissioning,” said the order issued by India's renewable energy ministry.
The government has not yet issued the list of approved solar cell manufacturers because “the installed capacity of solar cells in the country was less than the demand.”
But “with the installed capacity of solar cells in the country expected to increase substantially next year,” a list of approved manufacturers will now be released, the order said.
India's solar equipment manufacturing space has advanced rapidly in recent years.
A report by Bengaluru-based consulting firm Mercom India said the country's solar panel production is expected to reach 95 gigawatts by the end of 2025.
India added 13.3 gigawatts of solar equipment manufacturing capacity in the first half of 2024, according to the same report.
sai/gle/sn
Comments