India adds 24 GW of solar PV manufacturing capacity in 2023

India has added a whopping 24 GW of solar module and cell capacity in 2023. Gujarat led the total new capacity addition followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

During the calendar year, the country added 20.8 GW of solar modules and 3.2 GW of solar cell capacity, taking the cumulative solar module manufacturing capacity to 64.5 GW and solar cell manufacturing capacity of 5.8 GW as of December 2023, according to a report by Mercom India.

Gujarat led the country’s photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing capacity among the States, accounting for 46.1 per cent of the country’s solar modules capacity as of December 2023. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu ranked second and third for solar module production capacities, accounting for 9.3 per cent and 7.6 per cent.

Telangana accounted for 39 per cent of annual solar cell production capacity, the highest in the country. Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were second and third, with solar cell production contributing 34.7 per cent and 13.9 per cent of total capacities in the country.

The new manufacturing capacity additions in 2023 were primarily driven by the anticipated reimposition of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) order starting in April 2024, as well as potential export opportunities.

In total manufacturing capacity, the top 10 manufacturers accounted for 62 per cent of the module and 100 per cent of cell production capacity as of December 2023.

About 60 per cent of the installed module manufacturing capacity was equipped to manufacture solar modules in M10 and G12 wafer sizes. Only 22.2 GW of the total module production capacity was enlisted under the ALMM order per the updated list–I issued by MNRE as of January 2024, it said.

HBL