Industry at a glance

1. India is amongst top five destinations worldwide for solar energy. 2. Currently, a nascent and evolving industry, this segment has gained considerable momentum over the last two years with the launch of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), which entails provision of generation-based incentives to solar power developers and other incentives like renewable energy incentives.

3. Under the JNNSM, India is expected to reach a total solar installed capacity (both PV and CSP) of 20,000 MW and a total electricity generation of 25-30 TWH per year by 2022.

4. The top five states in India for solar PV potential are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, respectively.

5. Gujarat has witnessed the fastest ramp up in solar capacity over the last two years. It accounts for about 50 per cent of the installed solar capacity in India.

6. As of now, it’s mainly the modules and, to some extent, cells which are being manufactured in India.

7. Currently, the wafer manufacturing capacity in India is less than 20 MW, while the requirement at the end of this decade will be 2000 MW per year.

8. Going forward, we may see polysilicon and wafer manufacturing plants coming up in India, with companies like Lanco Solar, Bhaskar Silicon, Carborundum Universal and Yash Birla Group announcing their plans

9. Several companies have made a foray into the sector, including Azure Power, Camelot Enterprises and Sunedison. On the equipment front as well, the solar potential in the country has attracted numerous foreign solar global majors with First Solar investing more than $500 million to set up a thin-film Cdte manufacturing plant near Chennai.

10. Solar and thermal power will cost same in five years. India has advanced the target date for selling solar power at the same rate as conventional electricity to 2017 as tariffs have fallen significantly in the latest projects on offer and the trend is likely to continue.