Major Solar Energy Players in
India
The market for solar energy systems in
India is still very young. In 2007, solar energy produced in
India was just 1.7% (80 MW) of the global total. However, with
increasing awareness of the hazards of depending on non –
renewable sources of energy and the Government of India’s
resolve to actively promote renewable energy alternatives,
market demand for solar power systems has begun to show signs
of growth.
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, while
announcing the National Action Plan, stressed on the need to
gradually increase the nation’s dependence on renewable energy
alternatives, particularly solar electricity, with a view to
making India’s “economic development energy efficient.” The
Government is looking to accelerate solar power generation with
the aim of generating at least 10% of electricity through solar
energy by 2012.
The Indian Semiconductor Association sees
high potential for growth in the electrification of far flung
villages, which are currently without electricity because they
are not connected to the conventional transmission grid. Solar
photovoltaic technology is already being used effectively to
power remote villages such as Gudda in Rajasthan.
Domestic solar cell manufacturers
produced solar cells equivalent to 45MW energy in the financial
year ending March 2007. This is an increase of 21.6% over the
previous year. Two of the major players in the Indian PV cell
industry are Tata BP Solar Ltd. and Moser Baer Pvt. Ltd.
Another emerging name is Signet Solar, which plans to have
300MW installed capacity by the end of 2008.
According to ISA, market segments that
have particularly high growth prospects are rural areas where
solar panel installations would be cheaper than laying grid
lines, grid fed solar energy, roof top solar installations for
commercial use and back up systems to replace existing diesel
powered plants for telecom towers.
Major PV vendors include Tata BP Solar,
Kotak Urja Pvt. Ltd., Moser Baer Pvt. Ltd, Titan Energy Systems
Ltd. and WEBEL SL Energy Systems Ltd. The BIPV installations in
India’s first solar powered housing complex, Rabi Rashmi
Abasan, were supplied by SunTechnics India.
In order to make solar energy more
marketable, installation costs must come down. Though costs are
considerably lower now than what they were previously,
conventional electricity is still much cheaper.
Moser Baer, though a relatively new
entrant, is a very proactive participant in the market for
solar photovoltaic cells. The company, which is looking to earn
40% of its revenues from solar cell production by the year
2010, set up a new PV cell manufacturing facility. The number
of units the factory currently manufactures per year is enough
to generate roughly 40MW of energy. Most of these units are,
however, exported. The company plans to increase production two
fold.
India’s new National Semi Conductor
policy, under which the Government will bear 20 -25% of the
expenditure on capital for a semi conductor manufacturing unit
over the first ten years subject to certain conditions, has
seen many new companies enter the solar PV space. However,
India’s primary role in solar power generation, at present, is
as an exporter to the US, Japan and countries in Europe, which
are way ahead of India in their deployment of solar energy.
Indian solar power companies will emerge as significant
participants in the domestic solar energy space only when solar
power and applications become a viable energy alternative for
millions of consumers across the country.
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