Industry to explore solar potential in India

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The India Semiconductor Association (ISA), today launched the report on the "Solar PV Industry: Global and Indian Scenario" along with the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) at the inaugural session of the first annual Solar PV Conclave 2008.

The study provides a broad overview of the solar PV market globally and in India. It provides the current status and future trends in solar PV manufacturing, technology, R&D, market dynamics, financial aspects and industry challenges. It also benchmarks the Government policy initiatives and market drivers in leading countries in this sector.

The Report identifies key application segments with high market potential namely; Rural electrification – Decentralized Distributed Generation (DDG), Grid interactive solar PV power plants, Backup Power for Telecom (Base Transceiver Station) and Roof based solar PV systems.

The support and guidance of NMCC and other stakeholders has provided ISA with an opportunity to present a comprehensive report and credible data on the solar PV industry. Key industry players like Applied Materials, Moser Baer, BEL, Solar Signet, Solar Semiconductors, etc., have provided invaluable inputs.

The sector has got an impetus thanks to the Semiconductor Policy announced by the Government of India last year and the Generation Based Incentives (GBI) encouraging domestic manufacturing and the deployment for grid connected power respectively.

Speaking at the launch, Jaswinder Ahuja, Chairman, India Semiconductor Association (ISA) elucidated: “Government support is crucial for the growth of the industry, as seen in other countries. Solar PV adoption globally is poised to grow significantly in the future. The Indian industry is at a nascent stage. The time is right for the Indian Government to frame and implement policies and programs to attract domestic and foreign investments in this sector.”

The Conclave organized by ISA brings together domestic and global leaders in the solar PV space to debate on international policies and focus on developing India’s strengths.