Thursday, March 20, 2014: With solar power gaining momentum, the demand for solar equipments has also risen. Now, the state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) is expanding in to the renewable energy sector by way of becoming a manufacture of solar wafers. Marking that since India has no domestic production of this component of the solar photovoltaic (PV) cells, the PSU is the first to venture.
BHEL, power equipment giant, solar part manufacturing unit is the first such plant in India. According to Financial Express, B Prasada Rao, the chairman and managing director of BHEL said, “We have taken board approval to manufacture solar wafers and are looking at viability gap funding support from the clean energy fund.”
The plant is situated in Sakoli, in the state of Maharashtra. It will start manufacturing the solar wafers along with the PV cells, modules and solar panels. BHEL has invested a massive amount of Rs 30 Billion in the venture.
The company will use indigenous technology to make the wafers cut from the crystalline silicon ingots, that will help lower the cost of PV cells. With this new facility, the company is likely to dominate a major market segment in the growing domestic market by way of solar energy.
Rao said, “The new product is the result of work put in by the company’s research and development. BHEL invested Rs 12.58 Billion last year, which was 2.5 per cent of sales.”
BHEL is also existent in the solar segment with manufacturing facilities for production of lanterns, PV cells and modules, and water heating systems that are mostly made at the company’s plant in Karnataka.
