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India aims to become self-reliant across the solar value chain by June 2028, with sufficient manufacturing capacity already available for solar cells and modules, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), said.
Responding to a question on the impact of export controls imposed by several countries, including China, on equipment used in solar projects, Sarangi said the government was prioritising domestic manufacturing. It has already laid out a timeline for including ingots and wafers under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) framework by June 2028.
China has proposed export controls on 12 technologies used to manufacture solar equipment, citing national security concerns.
India explores ways to make agrivoltaics more affordable
The government is looking to narrow the cost gap between conventional ground-mounted solar projects and agrivoltaics, which combines agricultural production with solar power generation on the same land, Sarangi told CNBC-TV18’s Abhimanyu Sharma.
Solar panels installed at a height of 3–4 metres can allow farmers to continue mechanised cultivation underneath them. However, agrivoltaic projects cost 25–30% more than conventional ground-mounted installations.
Sarangi said the government aims to use central and state schemes to help bridge the cost difference and develop viable business models that can compete with conventional solar projects and supply electricity to distribution companies, or discoms.
Ground-mounted solar projects, which have largely been developed on barren land, have expanded significantly. Further growth in solar power generation will require identifying areas where crops such as fruits and vegetables can be cultivated alongside solar installations, he said.
The government is examining the suitability of different crops across photovoltaic zones as it works towards developing a roadmap for agrivoltaics.
PM-KUSUM 2.0 in the works
The government is also working with the Ministry of Agriculture to take the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme to its next phase, Sarangi said.
Solarisation of 25 lakh agricultural pump sets has saved the country 800 million litres of diesel, he added.
Sarangi also stressed the need for collaboration with international partners to expand agrivoltaics. German Ambassador to India Jasper Wieck said there were plans for joint research at pilot sites to assess how farming and solar power generation could be combined economically and sustainably on the same land.
Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems is looking to work with India’s Centre of Excellence on Agrivoltaics to develop practical standards that safeguard agricultural production while enabling solar power generation.
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