India has experienced a significant surge in the import of solar power equipment, with solar panel imports reaching an eighteen-month high in September. The country still remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers, especially from China, which has supplied 57% to 100% of Indian imports, including modules, cells, wafers, and solar glass since the beginning of 2021.
The reliance on imports is particularly notable for photovoltaic cells, with purchases in the first nine months of this year surpassing the total for the entire three years through 2022. The government is actively working to increase the share of solar energy in its predominantly coal-based electricity mix, aiming to raise the solar capacity from approximately 17% to nearly 39% by 2032. As part of this strategy, India aspires to boost solar module manufacturing capacity to 100 gigawatts annually by the end of 2026, a five-fold increase from the current approved capacity.
As reported by ETEnergyworld.com, despite ambitious goals, around two-thirds of India’s consumption of cells and all of its wafers have been sourced through imports since the beginning of 2021. The situation is not expected to change significantly in 2024. Notably, the country does not currently produce any wafers or polysilicon domestically.
