India on path to become solar manufacturing powerhouse

It is not about assembling solar panels domestically; it’s about establishing a resilient, end-to-end ecosystem that encompasses the entire value chain, spanning raw polysilicon, wafers, cells, and finished modules.

India is on a determined path to become a comprehensive solar manufacturing powerhouse, covering upstream (polysilicon, wafers), midstream (cells), and downstream (modules). Amod Anand, Co-founder and Director of Loom Solar, emphasizes the importance of self-reliance in solar manufacturing for India’s energy and economic sovereignty. Let us hear him.

What does “self-reliance” in solar manufacturing really mean for India? Is it possible to achieve full supply-chain independence?

For us, “self-reliance” in solar manufacturing is the cornerstone of India’s energy and economic sovereignty. It’s not about assembling solar panels domestically; it’s about establishing a resilient, end-to-end ecosystem that encompasses the entire value chain, spanning raw polysilicon, wafers, cells, and finished modules. This shall help secure national energy interests, reduce geopolitical vulnerabilities, and generate large-scale employment.

This strategic push reduces our nation’s dependence on global supply chains and insulates us from international price volatility and disruptions. However, total supply-chain independence, given China’s entrenched upstream dominance and cost advantage, remains a distant goal for any nation. We believe the focus on strategic self-reliance, driven by policies like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, is a pragmatic and powerful way to secure India’s green future.

In the short term, India’s focus should be on scaling domestic module and cell manufacturing while laying the foundation for upstream players. Long-term, innovation, economies of scale, and aligned policy are pivotal. While achieving absolute independence is impractical in a globally interconnected industry, the goal is to build a robust domestic base that makes India a formidable player on the world stage.

How is automation and AI transforming solar module manufacturing — from quality inspection to predictive maintenance of production lines?

Automation and AI are fundamentally transforming our industry from a reactive model to a proactive, data-driven one. We’re at the forefront of this shift, integrating AI-powered machine vision to perform instantaneous and precise quality inspections that can detect micro-cracks and other defects invisible to the human eye. This ensures a new level of product reliability and dramatically reduces waste.

Furthermore, our use of IoT sensors and AI is revolutionising our production line maintenance. Instead of waiting for a breakdown, our systems can predict potential failures and schedule maintenance proactively. This predictive capability minimises costly downtime, maximises operational efficiency, and allows us to uphold our promise of delivering superior, high-quality products to our customers. These advancements mean lower defect rates, rapid root-cause analysis, and dynamic process adjustments, all supporting “zero-defect” production targets.

Beyond the factory floor, AI could support supply chain optimisation—predicting material needs, mitigating disruptions, and streamlining logistics. Robotics now handles high-precision wafering, soldering, and assembly, ensuring repeatability and scalability. Digital twins—virtual factories—are becoming integral to R&D cycles, allowing us to simulate new products and refine processes before real-world deployment. Result: faster innovation, globally benchmarked quality, and operational resilience.

The global solar supply chain has been heavily disrupted in recent years. How is your company mitigating risks around raw materials, wafers, and polysilicon imports?

The recent disruptions have reinforced our belief in a multi-pronged strategy to build a resilient supply chain. As an “asset-light, distribution-first” company, we focus on where we can add the most value and strategically invest in key manufacturing capabilities. We are mitigating risk by expanding our domestic manufacturing by setting up the greenfield 1.2 GW PV module factory and a 100 MW capacity for inverters and batteries. This approach reduces our reliance on external suppliers for key components.

We actively diversify our global sourcing of raw materials to avoid over-dependence on a single region. Our focus on providing a complete, end-to-end solar solution—from panels and inverters to energy storage—allows us to offer a more stable and reliable value proposition, insulating our business from market volatility.

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Further, we have digitised our supply chain with real-time inventory and order management, ensuring material availability and visibility. This, coupled with our e-commerce-driven sales and distribution model, provides rapid response capability to market shifts and minimises downtime from global shocks. Result: greater business continuity, resilience, and reliability for customers—despite global turbulence in solar inputs.

Do you foresee India evolving into not just a manufacturing hub for modules but also upstream components like wafers and cells?

Absolutely, this evolution is already underway, and it is a monumental step for India’s energy security.

India is now on a determined path to become a comprehensive solar manufacturing powerhouse—covering upstream (polysilicon, wafers), midstream (cells), and downstream (modules). While India has been strong in module assembly, the government’s visionary policies and significant private sector investments are now pushing the industry further upstream. We are seeing major conglomerates investing billions in building integrated facilities that will produce everything from polysilicon to wafers and cells. This collective effort is not just about meeting domestic demand but also about establishing India as a credible, large-scale supplier to the global market.

We are the key part of this journey. A robust domestic supply of high-quality upstream components will enable us to scale our own advanced module manufacturing, such as our planned 1.2 GW HJT line, with greater efficiency and a stronger, more resilient supply chain, thereby positioning India as a global clean energy powerhouse.

How do you see the balance between rooftop and utility-scale solar shaping manufacturing demand in the next five years?

The balance is shifting dramatically and creating new opportunities for manufacturers. Historically, utility-scale projects have driven demand for massive, uniform, cost-efficient modules. However, the next five years will be defined by the explosive growth of the residential and commercial rooftop solar market, fuelled by initiatives like the PM Surya Ghar Yojana. This segment demands a wider variety of module sizes, aesthetics, and, most importantly, completely integrated solutions that include advanced inverters and batteries.

This dual demand is a powerful tailwind for us. Our business model is aligned with the needs of the booming rooftop market, and we are expanding our manufacturing to meet the high-volume demands of utility projects and the nuanced, application-specific needs of a customer-centric, decentralised energy market.

What technologies or offerings are you putting forward at REI 2025?

At the Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo 2025, we will be showcasing a fully integrated solar ecosystem that embodies our commitment to innovation. We will feature our latest generation of high-efficiency PV modules, including our bifacial ‘Shark series’ with TOPCon and HJT cells, which are engineered to deliver a superior power output of up to 730W.

Our visitors will also experience our expanded range of lithium-ion batteries, with storage ratings from 1 kWh to 100 kWh, providing a clean and scalable alternative to traditional generators.

IoT-enabled inverters (3 kW to 100 kW) allow for seamless energy management and remote monitoring. Our presence will underscore how we are transforming the industry from a hardware-centric market into an intelligent, service-oriented ecosystem for a future-ready India.

Recognising financial inclusivity as an opportunity, we at REI 2025 will also promote easy loans and EMI plans aligned with monthly energy bills. This approach makes the solar dream attainable for millions, supporting India’s clean energy transition and economic growth.