Indian solar manufacturers have entered into talks with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) over adjusting policy to help protect against foreign competition.
Project developers in India are increasingly choosing to equip their projects with PV products from low-cost manufacturers in countries such as China and Taiwan. This aggressive pricing has been branded as unethical by Jupiter Solar Power CEO Dhruv Sharma, who believes it is driving Indian firms out of the market and increasing the time taken to secure funding.
“There is tremendous strain on domestic solar manufacturers. We are in dialogue with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for possible policy interventions,” said S Venkataramani, the CEO of cell manufacturer Indosolar.
Venkataramani also claimed that domestic manufacturers are also grossly under utilising capacity, with only around 20-30% of total capacity used at present.
Domestic firms are hoping protectionist measures will help them to capitalise on the 500MW of capacity that is forecasted to be built in the current fiscal year. These installations will equate to an investment of around INR7,000 crore.
