China

Wood Mackenzie has predicted solar equipment cost increases will ease back after last year saw the average cost of solar electricity rise for the first time in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Chinese inverter maker has expanded its offerings in India beyond commercial and residential solar sector by launching 250 and 253 kW inverters for the utility segment. It also plans to bring its offgrid solutions to the Indian market in 2022.

The Chinese inverter company has shipped more than 10 GW of solar inverters in India since it began its operations in the market in 2014.

After the ravages of Covid-19, electricity shortages in China have now raised costs for its solar manufacturers, with knock-on effects for developers in India too, again highlighting the dangers of relying on a single solar supply chain.

The figures paint a better picture for India than other Asian nations, where fossil fuel-based generation accounted for a much bigger share in meeting the rise in electricity demand.

All eyes are drawn to China every year for SNEC, the world’s biggest solar PV expo, as it invariably features a large number of new products from the key Chinese manufacturers. Vincent Shaw was on the scene in Shanghai this year and took the opportunity to take the industry’s pulse.

Jinchen Machinery has landed module production equipment orders from leading Indian solar manufacturers. It has already installed 2 GW of production lines and plans to supply the balance within three months. The company will open an India office in Surat, Gujarat. 

The nation maintained the highest score of 62.7 for solar in the latest edition of Ernst & Young’s renewables attractiveness index. It ranked third for overall renewable energy investment. 

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) under the commerce ministry stated the Indian manufacturers provided sufficient evidence to warrant the initiation of an investigation into the alleged dumping of solar cells. The investigation will aim to determine the existence, degree and effect of the dumping and recommend an amount of anti-dumping duty to offset the material injury to domestic manufacturers.

India ranks behind the United States and China in IHS Markit’s latest rankings of most attractive solar markets.