Manufacturing

The input costs of the two biggest contributors to solar plant development expense have gone through the roof since the world began to come out of Covid-19 lockdowns, to leave project developers with some difficult choices.

Global bids are invited to set up giga-scale advanced-chemistry battery cell manufacturing units in India under the government’s production-linked incentive scheme. To be eligible for the government subsidy, the bidder would have to commit to setting up a minimum of 5 GWh capacity. Bidding is open until December 31.

The DC-coupled battery has 94.5% round-trip efficiency and the inverter offers up to 11.4 kW power and 10.3 kW backup power.

The four companies will each have half of their planned 4 GW annual production of polysilicon-to-module output subsidized by public funds.

Backsheet chalking, especially of polyamide backsheet films, doesn’t take long to lead to cracks and then safety shutdowns. Sometimes, though, the period may be much longer or shorter than expected. Assessing the risk and whether on-site repairs offer a long-term solution is currently a topic of strong debate within the PV industry, as Cornelia Lichner from the pv magazine Germany team reports.

India needs to install an average of 25 GW solar capacity every year to reach its renewable energy target of ‘450 GW by 2030’ with over 60% (280 GW) from solar. The nation must build enough manufacturing capacity back home to be ready on the supply side to support the new installations. 

Parity in the total cost of ownership already exists for electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers (with subsidy) vis-à-vis their internal combustion engine counterparts. Policy impetus, coupled with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for batteries and auto components (exclusively covering EVs), is likely to further reduce costs and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The transition will also open up the market for new-age companies and innovators across the value chain.

India has seen substantial activity in the domestic battery storage and green hydrogen markets, from the entry of Reliance and Acme Solar in green hydrogen to gigawatt-scale battery storage tenders by NTPC and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). There are more private ventures in the offing, indicating the government’s policy push is in the right direction.  

PV manufacturing giant Trina Solar says it has agreed with other industry players on a set of standard dimensions and other technical specifications for PV modules utilizing 210mm wafers – the largest currently available on the market. The manufacturer says it expects the China Photovoltaic Industry Association to formally release the standard before the end of October.

A report from Australia’s Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre which analysed the development of battery hubs in the U.S., Germany and Japan, has found that co-location and cooperation between industry and government were key to their success. For Australia to play the same game, it will have to leverage its wealth of resources, and clean up its act along the way.