Greentech Lead India: Solar manufacturers in India under the banner of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) India urged Government of India to encourage indigenous photovoltaic manufacturing under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
Addressing a panel organized by SEMI, Satyendra Kumar, chief technology officer, Lanco Solar, also a member of the Indian Solar Manufacturer’s Association ( ISMA), said, “We want implementation as early as possible and on a continuous basis.”
Lanco Solar, a unit of the Hyderabad-based Lanco Group, would kick-start the 300 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar cell manufacturing plant in the special economic zone (SEZ) in Rajnandgaon of Chhattisgarh by mid or next year, Kumar said. At present, the plant manufactures only solar modules.
Lanco Group is investing Rs 3,000 crore in the manufacturing unit. The project is expected to generate $300 million in revenue for Lanco Group. The company plans to export nearly 15 percent of its solar cells. The raw material, metallurgical silicon, will be imported. Lanco has tied up with US-based GT Solar to provide key technology to be used in the plant.
Rajaram Pai, Business leader, DuPont Electronics and Communications and Photovoltaic Solutions, South Asia said: “Energy needs in India continue to grow as the population expands and GDP rises. Global suppliers have a crucial role as this new demand dictates the need to minimize costs and maximize returns for investments in solar.”
Solar manufacturers in India, under the banner of SEMI India, also demanded the Government should incentivize local manufacturing in the latest phase of the National Solar Mission. The industry, while supporting free and fair competition, wants some of the capacities to be reserved for local equipment.
70% of the JNNSM projects used imported solar modules
As per the latest estimates of the 148 grid-connected solar power plants of 551MW aggregate capacity installed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) in India, nearly70 percent are using imported solar cells or modules, the government said recently.
Farooq Abdullah, minister for New & Renewable Energy, recently stated one of the important objectives of the JNNSM is to promote domestic manufacturing in solar energy sector. The Ministry has made certain domestic content requirements mandatory in various schemes of JNNSM Phase-I, the Minister said.