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

June 23, 2021
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

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

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

October 27, 2025
Waaree Energies has secured four solar module supply contracts totalling 692MW – three for projects in India and one in the US through its subsidiary.
October 27, 2025
Premier Energies has acquired a 51% stake each in transformer maker Transcon and inverter producer KSolare Energy. 
October 16, 2025
Jakson Green and Blueleaf Energy have reached financial close for the 840MWp Bikaner solar projects in Rajasthan, western India. 
October 15, 2025
Wood Mackenzie has warned of a supply bottleneck as the renewable energy shift drives a spike in global copper demand over the next decade.
October 15, 2025
Ciel & Terre has launched a new floating PV structure designed to address the increasingly large scale of floating solar projects.
October 15, 2025
Indian module manufacturer Saatvik Green Energy, through its subsidiary Saatvik Solar Industries, has secured solar PV module orders worth INR6.89 billion (US$78 million).

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
November 12, 2025
10am PST / 1pm EST
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany