Analysis of Manufacturing Opportunities in the Solar PV Value Chain
For entrepreneurs and businesses exploring opportunities in the solar PV domain, power production opportunities are the most apparent. Opportunities available along the other parts of the solar PV value chain, especially in the manufacturing sector are much less in the limelight.
While power production as a business opportunity has its attractions, especially taking into account the National Solar Mission (NSM) incentives, this is essentially a PPA-based business model, with little upside potential. On the other hand, in order for India to become a leader in solar power sector, it is imperative that India is able to develop a strong supporting eco-system to support the growth in solar PV power production. Of prime importance to this support eco-system is the role of manufacturing activities within the solar PV value chain. Unlike the power production opportunities, manufacturing opportunities bring with them the possibility of higher innovation and significantly higher upsides.
In order to participate in these opportunities, and to take critical investment decisions, a better understanding of these is essential for Indian businesses. The objective of this white paper is to provide inputs and intelligence for the manufacturing activities in India for the solar PV ecosystem – for both crystalline and thin film technologies while addressing the question of which technology is most suitable under Indian conditions from a regulatory, financial and technical perspective. The topics discussed spans the entire value chain which includes
c-Si Value Chain
- Polysilicon
- Wafer
- Cells
- Modules
Thin Film Technologies
- a-Si
- CdTe
- CIGS/CIS
detailed technological comparison of the available module technologies i.e. c-Si and Thin Film has been undertaken along with a comparative analysis of the financials that goes into the manufacturing of modules using either technology.
In addition to the traditional manufacturing options in the value chain, the paper provides critical insight into other, lesser treaded avenues such as raw material manufacturing, machineries and equipment manufacture and other non-core solar products such as glasses, solar grade cables etc. The report is rounded off with an insightful analysis of the policy regime existent in terms of what has been done and what needs to be done to nurture the development of a complete solar PV ecosystem.
The Whitepaper can be downloaded from here : Analysis of Manufacturing Opportunities in the Solar PV Value Chain
