Indian solar module manufacturer Waaree Energies has started trial production at its 5.4GW cell production facility in Chikhli, Gujarat, which is slated to be India’s largest cell manufacturing plant when it reaches full-scale production.
The company first announced plans for the facility in 2022. It is Waaree’s only cell manufacturing facility in operation, compared to 13.3GW of module manufacturing capacity. While the company has not specified when it expects to begin full-scale production at the factory, the ramping up of cell production is significant considering India’s push towards more domestic production of solar technologies.
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Last year, the government announced that cells would feature on its Approved List of Modules and Manufacturers (ALMM) from 2026, and developers can qualify for government subsidies for projects should they use products from listed companies, many of which are based in India. Waaree, for its part, noted that the advancement of its cell production facility would help deliver more “indigenous manufacturing” in the Indian solar sector.
“The commencement of trial production at our solar cell manufacturing facility is indeed an achievement for us and a testament to India’s renewable energy aspirations,” said Waaree director and CEO Dr Amit Paithankar. “Our drive for backward integration is aligned with the nation’s goal of reducing dependence on imports, thereby creating a robust, self-reliant solar supply chain.”
This emphasis on domestic content across the Indian solar sector is reflected in a module supply deal, which Waaree announced last week. The company will supply 150MW of its n-type tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules, rated at 585-590Wp, to what it called a “renowned customer” involved in renewable power development in India.
The deal follows a number of similar announcements for the Indian solar sector last year, including a 412.5MW supply deal secured in June and a 445MW agreement finalised in May.
Investments in Indian solar manufacturing capacity is also helping to drive export figures, with figures from the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and JMK Research showing that, between the 2022 and 2024 financial years, the percentage of annual domestic module production that was exported jumped from 3% to 29%. In the 2024 financial year, module exports alone accounted for around US$2 billion in value, as maximising domestic manufacturing becomes a priority for a number of leaders in the solar sector.
