The government is pushing for solar manufacturing in India with restrictive and enabling policies.

In April this year, the Union Cabinet approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) program for the ‘National Program on High-Efficiency Solar PV (Photovoltaic) Modules’ to achieve gigawatt-scale manufacturing with an outlay of ₹45 billion (~$605 million).

Mercom is hosting a virtual conference, ‘Mercom India Solar Forum 2021‘ on October 21. The virtual event will address the ground realities and market outlook amid the rapidly changing solar space.

Spread over six sessions, the event will bring together industry leaders and stakeholders to share their views on various factors affecting the Indian solar industry.

A session dedicated to the solar manufacturing sector titled ‘Moving Towards a Domestic Manufacturing Base With Sustainable Demand’ will discuss the issues related to the domestic manufacturing sector and measures to create a self-sustainable manufacturing ecosystem in the country. The session will start at 12.10 pm on October 21.

The panelists include Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Sujoy Ghosh, Vice President and Country Managing Director, First Solar; Ramesh Nair, CEO, Adani Solar; and Manjunath DV, Managing Director, EMMVEE.

The virtual event is free to attend. To register, you can click here.

The panel will discuss the feasibility of the domestic manufacturing initiative, market opportunity, and the plans of stakeholders to establish a market within the country and export opportunities.

In July this year, First Solar announced that it would invest $684 million to set up a new, vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) thin-film solar module manufacturing facility in India. Emmvee plans to set up a 3 GW solar cell and module facility in Bangalore. Adani, First Solar, and Emmvee have submitted their bids in the PLI program.

The companies will discuss their manufacturing plans, the demand visibility and future goals.