Manufacturing

Indian energy storage startup Meine Electric has raised $750,000 (INR 6.7 crore) in a pre-seed funding round to support its transition from laboratory-scale prototypes to pilot-ready iron–air battery systems.

Despite strong industry interest, India’s Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC PLI) scheme, launched in October 2021, is yet to translate policy ambition into realised capacity. As of October 2025, only 2.8% (1.4 GWh) of the targeted 50 GWh capacity has been commissioned within the stipulated timeline, entirely by Ola Electric—according to a new report by JMK Research and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Fujiyama Power Systems Ltd has commenced production at its 1 GW solar cell manufacturing plant in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The newly commissioned facility will cater entirely to captive consumption, strengthening the company’s backward integration and supply-chain security.

Rising silver prices are pushing PV manufacturers toward copper-based metallization, with DK Electronic Materials targeting 2026 for large-scale deployment of high-copper paste solutions, while Fraunhofer ISE warns efficiency trade-offs remain unacceptable.

Waaree Energies Ltd reported revenue from operations of INR 7,565.05 crore in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 118.81%. Profit after tax (PAT), after accounting for exceptional items, surged 118.35% YoY to INR 1,106.79 crore.

China’s PV manufacturing sector is operating at full capacity ahead of an April 1 export tax change, contributing to module price increases of 20% to 30% in parts of the supply chain and raising risks for price-sensitive European commercial and utility-scale projects in early 2026.

United Solar Holding has secured more than $900 million to complete the financing required for its 100,000 MT polysilicon manufacturing facility in Oman. Production is expected to begin during the first quarter of this year.

Kuldeep Gupta-led ChemVolt Global has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish a 5 GWh lithium-ion cell manufacturing gigafactory in the state, with a planned investment of INR 2,500 crore.

The European Commission is revising its Cybersecurity Act. While presenting the proposals in European Parliament, the commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said dependency on a very limited number of solar inverter suppliers could “pose a significant security risk.”

Iola Hughes, Head of Research at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, tells ESS News that 2026 is set to be another strong year for BESS, with forecast additions exceeding 450 GWh and no material supply constraints in sight. Meanwhile, the initial impact of rising lithium prices is already visible at the cell level, but the full effect has yet to ripple through to system pricing.