Industry leaders feel that manufacturers and suppliers of technology, components, materials and services will all need to work together to make India a solar power hub
By EB Bureau
Thursday, June 13, 2013: Indian manufacturers of solar energy related equipment, under the aegis of SEMI India (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) have urged the government to incentivise local manufacturing in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), in order to ensure a level playing field for domestic manufacturers while competing with global players. They also demanded that a certain solar power generation capacity ought to be reserved for local manufacturers.
Following the announcement that the domestic manufacturing capacity of photovoltaic (PV) modules has grown to 2 GW, SEMI, a global industry association, brought together solar industry experts to discuss how to facilitate a globally competitive PV manufacturing ecosystem in India.
Industry leaders felt that manufacturers and suppliers of technology, components, materials and services will all need to work together to enable India to become a solar power hub. Industry experts at the meeting believed that in order to reap the full benefits of solar energy, India needs to develop a strong local manufacturing base.
“In the second phase of the JNNSM, indigenous manufacturing should be encouraged,” says Satyendra Kumar, chief technology officer, Lanco Solar, who is also a member of SEMI.
Benefits of local manufacturing base
Building a local manufacturing base in India will have huge benefits for the nation’s economy—as a generator of jobs and from an energy security point of view.
“India needs to develop a top-notch PV manufacturing and market ecosystem,” says Satyendra Kumar. “Solar energy can not only enhance the quality of the life of millions of deprived people, but also has the potential to create millions of jobs. India now has good infrastructure to manufacture solar cells and modules, upstream materials and components such as solar glass, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), junction boxes, etc. However, our infrastructure to manufacture key materials such as silicon is almost non-existent. We need to set up a very strong manufacturing ecosystem so that Indian industry flourishes by offering quality products that are globally competitive and we can reap the immense potential of solar energy,” he adds.
Global suppliers’ interests in India
Commenting on the global suppliers’ view of the Indian solar market, Rajaram Pai, business leader, DuPont Electronics, says, “Energy needs in India continue to grow as the population expands and GDP rises. India’s target is to generate 20 GW of solar power by 2022. Global suppliers have a crucial role to play as this new demand dictates the need to minimise costs and maximise returns on investments in solar. As India grows, collaboration with leading suppliers will be the key.”
Sharing his views on policies, the implications for the solar industry, Ashwini K Aggarwal, director, government affairs, Applied Materials India Pvt Ltd, says, “India is set to drive its solar sector into the mainstream with the next phase of the JNNSM and with other state solar policies. JNNSM II will scale up the opportunities and establishes an ambitious, yet realistic 10-fold increase in the planned target.”
Bettina Weiss, president, SEMI India, says, “In every industry, there is a need to address shared challenges, collectively. SEMI provides collaborative platforms like the SEMI International Standards Program and the International Technology Roadmap for PV to strengthen the collective voice of the members, develop solutions quickly and at a global scale, and help advance cost reduction and efficiency efforts.”
Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine
