Minister Farooq Abdullah told the parliament that India has by far built 391 megawatts of solar capacity under central government programs using imported cells and modules.
India may be banking big on solar technology but when it comes to manufacturing, the country still has to gain its ground. According to a Bloomberg report, the country has accepted that 71 per cent of the 551 megawatts of Indian solar capacity is being built on modules imported from other nations.
Solar energy gained its foothold in country since the commencement of National Solar Mission. The country has succeeded in installing 551 megawatts of solar capacity since then, but all this has been done using imported modules, revealed the government.
Minister Farooq Abdullah told the parliament that India has by far built 391 megawatts of solar capacity under central government programs using imported cells and modules. The developments have happened over a period of last three years.
It is worth mentioning here that government had rejected claims by U.S. Suppliers last month as it had violated World Trade Organization rules on equipment imports. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office complained that the India wants its solar-energy producers to use domestically manufactured solar cells and modules. The complaint also highlighted that India gives subsidies to companies that use home-grown equipment in preference to imports.
Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary in the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy, said that the country is building 1,000 megawatts of solar plants and is tendering for 2,000 megawatts more.
