1366 Technologies to invest US$300 million in solar manufacturing in India, seeking local partner

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
One of 1366 Technologies’ wafer labs in Malaysia. Image: 1366 Technologies

Solar wafer provider 1366 Technologies is actively exploring manufacturing opportunities in India, seeking a local partner.

US-based 1366 Technologies, which is backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Venture, confirmed to PV Tech that it intends to invest US$300 million to establish a 2GW wafer and cell manufacturing facility in India, CEO and founder Frank van Mierlo has said.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Reports first published in Livemint stated the successful partner will handle module manufacturing and the establishment of solar farms in India. 1366 is in talks with Indian firms but van Mierlo would not name them, citing non-disclosure agreements.

The partnership will operate under the Indian government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. “The Indian Government has made domestic solar manufacturing a priority and our technology is particularly well suited for the Indian market,” a 1366 spokesperson told PV Tech.

Under the PLI scheme, the government of India will support companies to open up new production facilities with US$600 million worth of investment, with the exact amount provided to each company linked to sales and module efficiency.    

Meanwhile, India has 14.8% safeguard duty on imported modules and, in April next year, imported cells and modules will incur a 25% and 40% customs duty, respectively.

The India government has also sought to attract investment through PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, which was supposed to boost the country’s manufacturing and cut red tape, although results have been mixed with declining job figures and stagnant export numbers.

India’s installed renewable capacity of both solar and wind has doubled over the past five years, however, and is today at around 100GW.

“Direct Wafer manufacturing [the company’s proprietary wafering technology] can immediately deliver the lowest cost of electricity in a single junction device for India’s utility market and it underpins an economically-feasible, high efficiency, tandem product,” noted 1366’s spokesperson.

1366 is also being backed by North Bridge Venture Partners and Polaris Partners.

Read Next

September 1, 2025
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to continue the investigation on imported solar cells from India, Indonesia and Laos.
August 28, 2025
Indian solar manufacturing firm INA Solar has broken ground on its fourth 4.5GW cell production plant in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh.
August 26, 2025
Jakson Engineers is investing over INR80 billion (US$912.5 million) to set up a 6GW integrated solar module, cell, and wafer plant.
August 26, 2025
India installed 14.3GW of new utility-scale solar capacity in the first half (H1) of 2025, marking a 49% increase year-on-year.
Premium
August 22, 2025
Indian PV manufacturers are facing a double hit from US trade tariffs and anti-dumping measures on products sold in America. Shreeyashi Ojha reports on how these are impacting their business models.
August 21, 2025
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), through its renewable energy arm NTPC Green Energy, has commissioned 212.5MW of solar capacity at its 1.25GW Khavda-I project. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines