Solar manufacturers seek ₹25,000 crore funding for indigenization
India's top solar manufacturers, represented by NSEFI, are asking the government for ₹20,000-25,000 crore in funding.
Their goal? To ramp up homegrown production of key parts like ingots and wafers, intended to expand domestic ingot and wafer manufacturing capacity to reduce import dependence and support solar deployment.
Support for smaller players and equipment procurement
NSEFI suggests that 10% of this funding should go toward supporting smaller solar equipment makers.
They're also pitching a ₹3,000-4,000 crore incentive package to help Indian companies buy and use manufacturing machinery.
India remains reliant on imported equipment for wafering, crystal pulling and process control.
The incentives could come via existing electronics schemes or a new program.
Targeting 50 GW capacity in ingots and wafers
Currently, India can produce 8.12 GW of wafer ingots and 31.17 GW of cells each year — but the target is 50 GW for ingots and wafers alone.
With an estimated cost of ₹1,000 crore per GW to build new capacity, NSEFI's plan aims to help close this gap and make Indian solar manufacturing more self-reliant.