Indigenous Solar Value Chain:
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is formulating a plan to create a fully indigenous solar manufacturing ecosystem by 2028, encompassing modules, cells, wafers, and ingots.
- The solar manufacturing value chain encompasses the complete process of converting raw materials into a fully functional solar photovoltaic (PV) module.
- It is a sequential workflow and the chain is generally divided into Upstream (high-tech, capital-intensive) and Downstream (labor-intensive) segments.\
- The process begins with metallurgical-grade silicon derived from quartz sand, which is then processed into polysilicon.
- The polysilicon is melted and crystallized into large, cylindrical blocks called ingots.
- Ingots are sliced into ultra-thin, disc-shaped sheets using a wire saw. These sheets, called wafers, are the fundamental building block of a solar cell.
- The wafers undergo doping (adding phosphorus and boron to form an electric field), printing (metal contacts for electron flow), and anti-reflective coating to minimize light reflection. The result is a solar cell capable of converting sunlight into electricity.
- Solar cells are interconnected, laminated, sealed between glass and polymer back sheets, and framed to form a solar module.
- Modules are assembled into arrays, connected to inverters, mounting structures, and wiring, and installed on rooftops, fields, or solar farms.
- India’s solar module capacity has already touched 100 GW, but solar cell capacity is only 27 GW, while ingot and wafer capacity is just 2.2 GW, making it heavily reliant on imports, particularly from China.
- India aims to finalize a roadmap for Swadeshi polysilicon production in the coming years.
- A key step is the proposed expansion of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), currently for modules, to include solar cells, wafers, and ingots.
- ALMM mandates that solar project developers purchase equipment from approved models and manufacturers, promoting domestic manufacturing and acting as a non-tariff barrier to low-quality or import-dependent products.
