A range of factors, including the growth of domestic manufacturing capacity and proactive government measures, have contributed to significant improvements in India’s solar sector in recent years. The country is making notable progress towards achieving self-sufficiency in solar cell and module production.
According to estimates from Rubix, an analytics provider, imports of solar cells and modules dropped by 20% and 57%, respectively, during the first eight months of 2024-25. Notably, Rubix highlighted a sharp decline in imports from China, with the share of solar cell imports falling from over 90% to 56%, and modules from 65% in 2023-24.
Several companies, including TP Solar (Tata Power’s solar arm), Reliance Industries, Waaree Energies, Vikram Solar, Gautam Solar, Adani Solar, and Rene, are planning major capacity expansions in the gigawatt range, Rubix noted. Furthermore, government policy changes are actively encouraging local production. The support provided under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is also expected to further boost domestic output.
Despite these advancements, Rubix pointed out that India will still need to rely on imports for solar photovoltaic cells and wafers, as domestic manufacturing capacity for cells remains limited and there are no wafer production facilities in the country.
As domestic manufacturing increases, Indian photovoltaic manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the export market. “India primarily exports solar modules, with solar cell exports remaining minimal. In 2023-24, solar module exports were nearly 35 times more valuable than solar cell exports,” Rubix stated.
Leading domestic players such as Waaree Energies, Adani Solar, and Vikram Solar accounted for most of India’s solar photovoltaic exports up to FY2024, each exporting over half of their annual production in that period. Other Indian manufacturers like Grew Energy, ReNew Power, Navitas, Solex Energy, and Saatvik Energy are also expanding into international markets and building supply chains abroad.
At COP26 in 2021, India made a bold “Panchamrit” pledge, which includes ambitious goals such as reaching 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity, generating half of the country’s energy needs from renewables, and reducing emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030. India also aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% and has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. Green energy is a key focus for India’s climate mitigation efforts and has gained global momentum.
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