Why US tariffs on Indian solar imports could hurt India
India's solar industry just hit a big roadblock: a 50% tariff on Indian solar exports to the US, introduced by President Donald Trump.
This move has made Indian panels way less competitive in the American market, threatening India's ambition to become a global clean-energy leader—even after ramping up its solar manufacturing capacity 50 times over the last decade.
India is rolling out incentives for local manufacturers
To fight back, India is rolling out incentives for local manufacturers—think subsidies and rules that favor homegrown solar tech in government projects.
But there's still a catch: most of the key parts like cells and wafers come from China, which dominates over 80% of global solar manufacturing.
If India wants to stand out on its own, it'll need to boost local production and rely less on imports from its biggest rival.