India local-content policy causes solar shutdowns, risks nearly $4 billion
Business
India's solar panel scene is in trouble after a new policy pushed for more local components over imports.
Since early June 2026, factories have faced delays of up to eight months just to get Indian-made solar cells, leading to shutdowns, job losses, and nearly $4 billion in investments at risk.
Indian-cell panels nearly double Chinese-part costs
Panels made with Indian cells now cost almost twice as much as those using Chinese parts; bad news for India's big clean energy plans.
The country relies on China for 95% of its solar cell imports, and tech restrictions from China are slowing things down even more.
Right now, India can build lots of panels but can only produce a fraction of the needed cells.
If things don't improve soon, hitting that 2030 green energy target could get a lot tougher.