The unprecedented growth of the Indian solar industry has created opportunities for manufacturers, solution providers, and product sellers.

At the recent RE Buyer Seller Meet in Pune, organized by Mercom India, experts discussed various opportunities in the distributed and large-scale project segments.

Yogesh Kudale, Chief Executive Officer of Taypro, and Chetan Amrutkar, AVP Sales and Marketing at Genx PV, discussed the various upcoming opportunities in the robotic cleaning and manufacturing of photovoltaic junction boxes, connectors, and cables.

During the session, Kudale highlighted the potential for consumers to save six times more by opting for robotic cleaning compared to traditional cleaning for modules.

He said, “When customers opt for a traditional cleaning, they spend about ₹1(~$0.0116) to ₹1.2 (~$0.014) per module, including the water expenses. However, that cost comes down to ₹0.20 (~$0.002) per module if a customer goes for robotic cleaning.”

Kudale added that while there is a general mindset that robotic cleaning is more expensive than the traditional mode, the reality is the opposite.

Robotic cleaning is a rapidly growing industry globally, as well as in India. However, a lack of awareness about the technology among solar project developers is still an issue.

“Most of the solar project owners still go for the traditional wet cleaning method, which can damage the modules over a period of time. When water is used without checking the total dissolved solids level, it forms scaling over the modules, damaging their productivity,” Kudale said.

Multiple technologies, including ultrasonic waves, drones, and rotating microfiber elements, can be utilized to address these issues.

Discussing the climatic challenges that solar project owners face during module cleaning, Kudale said that every project comes with a unique set of challenges.

“For example, we were working on a 50 MW project in Prayagraj, situated between a cement plant and a thermal power project. During the day, cement settles on the modules, while thermal gas elements accumulate at night, and when the morning dew hits the modules, it creates a layer of concrete on the surfaces.”

Kudale studied the project to solve this issue and scheduled the cleaning process even before the cement settled on the modules. “Each and every site needs a unique solution to address the challenges.”

Amrutkar spoke about Indian module manufacturers localizing components in their supply chains. While investment was a considerable challenge previously, the scenario has changed.

He said, “Post-COVID, a local supply chain is sought after, and we are prepared for it.”

Highlighting rising heat as one of the biggest challenges that cables face, Amrutkar added, “Developers must choose a 4-6 mm cable with a 5.7 mm diameter insulation part; however, they should opt for a cable with a thicker insulation part in the junction box. This helps address issues such as overheating, fire, and harsh climate conditions.”

Keeping Pace With Technology

Experts also point to the challenges of keeping pace with changing module technologies.

“There is a vast variety of technology that is lined up, and we try to go hand in hand with Chinese technology as they would come to India after a couple of months. When there is a change in module technology, we would have to change the junction box designs and connectors,” said Amrutkar.

According to him, companies with a forward-thinking mindset focus on research and development to give an ideal product to the industry.

“The technology changes are happening in modules and the machines that build these modules. There is automation and the use of AI on the manufacturing side,” said Amrutkar.

Kudale also highlighted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in robotic cleaning.

He said, “One who adopts the technology first wins the race. We have deployed over 3,000 robots that are using AI and machine learning in the market. They fetch environmental data such as weather conditions and terrain irregularities to update their cleaning plans.”

He added that Taypro plans to expand the AI model further into the maintenance sector.

The next buyer-seller meet will be held in Coimbatore on June 12, 2025. You can register here.

Contact us if you plan to install solar and need guidance or recommendations for vendors.