Module Capacity Has Doubled, Cell Manufacturing Capacity Has Increased by 65 Percent

Tata Power Solar has announced significant manufacturing capacity expansion at its Bengaluru facility in India. The company has increased its module capacity by 100 percent to 400 MW and the cell manufacturing capacity has been increased by 65 percent and now stands at 300 MW.

Prior to scale up, Tata Power had module capacity of 200 MW and cell capacity of 180 MW.

This expansion, the second in less than three years, is a testimony to Tata Power Solar’s commitment to manufacturing, in line with India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, stated the company.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Tata Power has commissioned 888 MW of utility scale projects and 452 MW of utility scale projects are under development. In the rooftop segment the company has commissioned 124 MW of projects and 20 MW are under pipeline.

Considering the competition from much cheaper Chinese modules and the recent WTO ruling, it is surprising to see Tata Power announce capacity expansion in India. Operational capacity of solar cells and modules is 1,448 MW and 5,246 MW respectively as of December 2016, according to Mercom’s Manufacturing Tracker. However, true working module manufacturing capacity was approximately 3 GW as of the end of 2016.

Image Credit: Tata Power Solar