Domestic solar modules not high quality as export modules, developers complain

The Centre’s push to deploy locally manufactured modules for solar projects could jeopardise the growth rate in capacity additions, Mercom reported. 

In the first half of 2024, solar projects totaling 14.9 GW were added in India, a 282% growth compared to 2023 because developers rush to import modules to commission projects ahead of the reimposition of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) Order from April 2024, the report noted.

Mercom report said developers complained about lower efficiency of locally made modules and the high degradation rate saying that considering the price point, the modules are not up to the mark, they aren’t as efficient as Chinese modules. as many of them fail the I-V tests. “When we check the samples, a 550 Wp solar module is shown as giving the rated wattage, but when we use them in the projects, they give less wattage.” Mercom quoted a buyer. The outlet said local developers complain that Indian manufacturers are producing export-quality modules but material is not the same in the modules supplied to domestic projects.

Solar parts makers demand anti-dumping duty on imports from China, Vietnam

Indian makers of components used to produce solar panels have sought trade protections against imports from China and Vietnam, demanding imposition of anti-dumping measures, even as manufacturers of solar modules continue to import cheaper components. The Solar Ancillary Manufacturers’ Association, sought tariff and non-tariff barriers to curb the inflow of cheap solar products. The state must instead encourage investment in local manufacturers of parts like solar glass, back sheets, and aluminium frames, manufacturers said to ET.

The lobby asked to reinstate an anti-dumping duty on solar glass, where 60% of demand is met with imports. A five-year levy imposed in 2017 helped the sector grow 17-fold. The industry is also demanding a mandate for module makers to use a certain amount of domestic content in their products, and a requirement for a government quality certification.

The renewables ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. India has already placed steep import tariffs on solar modules and cells. The protections have aided a nearly five-fold expansion in domestic modules capacity.

Battery storage and RE grids among top COP 29 agenda

Azerbaijan announced an initiative to promote battery storage and electric grid that it hoped countries would sign up for at the COP29 UN summit, Climate Home reported. The outlet noted that governments are being asked by the COP29 presidency to back a pledge to increase global energy storage capacity six times above 2022 levels, reaching 1,500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, and to add or refurbish more than 80 million kilometres of electricity grids by 2040. The voluntary initiatives are currently in draft form and will be finalised after consultation with states and other partners.

The targeted increase in the ability to store energy, mainly in batteries, is what the International Energy Agency (IEA) said is needed to meet the goal set last year at COP28 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 while maintaining energy security, the report pointed out. The report said Rho Motion predicted that by 2030, there will be 1,400 GW just from battery storage. The IEA forecasts that, under current policies, energy storage will reach 1,000 GW by 2030. “the real challenge” will be ensuring that storage is installed on a global basis to support the adoption of renewables. The IEA expects that the vast majority of battery storage is likely to be in China and in advanced economies.

150-fold increase needed to triple global RE capacity by 2030 : IEA 

World needs a 15-fold increase from present levels to meet the target to triple RE by 2030, the latest IEA analysis said. The report added that battery storage and grids needed to deliver the UN goal to triple renewable energy, IEA said.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) report said the goal set at COP28 last year to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 is “feasible” if countries work quickly, reported Reuters. The newswire cited the IEA report saying:  “favourable economics, ‘ample’ manufacturing potential and policies” make the goal possible. However, the outlet adds: “In order to fully execute, [the IEA] said countries need to build 25m km of transmission lines and add 1,500 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by 2030, a 15-fold increase on today’s level.”

Wind, solar require three times faster growth per year to limit warming to 1.5°C

Solar and wind energy need to grow fivefold by 2030 (three times faster than current yearly rates) and eightfold by 2035 across 11 countries that account for over 70% of current wind and solar power, to limit warming to 1.5°C, said Climate Analytics and NewClimate Institute, ET reported. 

According to the report, India is set to more than triple wind and solar capacity by 2030 compared to 2022, but would need further international climate finance support to scale five-fold to over 600 GW to meet growing demand and move away from coal dependence in line with 1.5°C.

With electricity demand growing rapidly in India, wind and solar will need to continue accelerating to meet demand growth while phasing down coal power. It finds India’s wind and solar generation needs to grow five times by 2030 to align with 1.5ºC, reaching around 1,100 TWh of wind and solar.

Just over 600 GW of wind and solar power (460 GW of solar and 150 GW of wind) would need to be installed by 2030. At 2022 levels it was 126 GW. At the current pace of rollout, India is projected to reach around 400 GW of wind and solar by 2030. This falls short of the capacity needed in 2030 by 140 GW of solar and 70 GW of wind.

Tata Power to invest $14.3 billion in Rajasthan over 10 years

Tata Power will invest about ₹1.2 trillion ($14.32 billion) in Rajasthan over the next 10 years, mostly in renewable energy projects, Reuters reported. Tata Power will set up solar modules manufacturing plants, solar rooftops installations, transmission and distribution projects, nuclear power plant and electric vehicle charging. 

The newswire cited the company saying that about ₹750 billion of the investment will go on renewable energy projects, with 10 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity to be developed across the state. Tata Power, which currently has 5 GW renewable energy capacity in large projects, aims to add another 5 GW capacity in the next one to two years and expand that to more than 20 GW by 2030, investing up to $9 billion CEO Praveer Sinha told Reuters.

Solex Energy targets 5 GW of solar cell and 15 GW of panel manufacturing capacity by 2030

Gujarat-based Solex Energy will invest over ₹8,000 crore ($1 billion) to develop a solar cell manufacturing facility with an initial capacity of 2 GW, designed to scale up to 5 GW, reported PV Magazine. The outlet added that initial 2 GW cell capacity will be based on TOPCon technology. It is planned in two phases of 1 GW each with the first 1 GW to start production by the end of 2025 and the other 1 GW by the end of 2026.

The company plans to increase module manufacturing capacity from 1.5 GW (as of Dec. 2024 end) to 15 GW. Currently, it has a 700 MW module production capacity with an additional 800 MW to start production by December this year. Solex aims to expand its workforce to over 25,000 to support this growth in solar manufacturing.

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