In an interview on the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2025, Suhas Donthi, President and CEO at Emmvee Photovoltaic Power, spoke at length about the solar manufacturing landscape in India, module technology trends, and his company’s research and development (R&D) initiatives and plans for backward integration of the supply chain.

Please take us through your company’s products and services.

Emmvee holds three decades of experience in the solar manufacturing industry. We’ve been manufacturing solar PV modules since 2007. We have a capacity of 7.8 GW of modules and 2.9 GW of solar cell capacity in TOPCon technology.

We’re adding another 2.5 GW of module capacity by the end of this year. And we have 6 GW of cells and modules in the pipeline.

How do you view the solar manufacturing landscape in India today?

The solar manufacturing landscape has drastically expanded. We are one of the early players in the industry.  We are proud to say that the strength of the manufacturing industry in India is far different from what you may see in many other parts of the world. The reason is that our domestic consumption is a big advantage, unlike many other countries that are focused only on manufacturing for export.

In that sense, our manufacturing has come a long way. Energy security has become increasingly crucial. In fact, every megawatt of solar capacity installed translates to the creation of several jobs. That is true of manufacturing as well.

One of the government’s new initiatives is the inclusion of solar cells in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers from June next year. Do you think the Indian industry has the capacity to meet the demand that will come up in the next couple of years?

There is already 25 GW of cell capacity. We have also heard that significant capacity is being added. So, I think the timelines are very achievable and I don’t foresee many disruptions because of this policy. It is similar to what we saw with ALMM for modules. We have seen the advantages it has brought and the jobs it has helped create. A more self-reliant economy is the goal for India across all sectors. It’s very encouraging to see that the solar sector is leading the way in achieving this goal of self-reliance.

Developers often complain about module shortages, especially DCR-compliant modules. Is this shortage due to manufacturers focusing more on export markets than on the domestic market? Is it because they see a higher return on investment from export markets?

I can talk about Emmvee, which is very much committed to the domestic market. In fact, I would also say that many of our colleagues are, too.

The comparison between last year’s exports and domestic consumption will answer your question.

We have seen the success of the DCR program in the country. Take, for example, the PM Surya Ghar Yojana announced by the Prime Minister. Within a year, we saw tremendous installations, which couldn’t have been possible without the support of the manufacturers.

I think that the shortage is probably overstated.

What is your take on the quality standards of India-made modules? Because there’s talk that Indian modules degrade faster and have several defects. So, how do Indian modules compare with modules from China?

I think that is something that’s a very easy answer, because Indian modules have always been at the forefront.

For example, at Emmvee, we’ve always pioneered the manufacturing of high-quality modules. We have, since our inception, been exporting modules to Europe, which wouldn’t have been possible without maintaining quality standards.

Our modules were among the four module manufacturers to achieve ratings in all tests conducted by Kiwa PVEL, which says a lot about the quality of our modules on a global level.

One of the reasons for the success of Indian solar manufacturing is government support with programs like the Production Linked Incentive. What else do you think the government can do to accelerate the pace of solar manufacturing in India?

I believe government programs have played a significant role in this success. But now I think what we ask for, as any industry would or any company would, is stability.

And I think the government has been providing that. And I think we’re on the right track. Right now, we are in a position to give rather than take.

There has been a lot of talk about policy and regulatory stability. Policies keep changing, leaving little time for developers and manufacturers to adapt to the changes. What is your view on this issue?

I think we’ve seen a lot of change. A few years back, this (policy instability) was a much bigger problem. Today, it is not as much of a problem because everyone understands that the goals and the intent is very clear. India has set a goal to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070.

So, I think every nodal agency, the Centre, and the states are working towards it. Yes, there could be different approaches to resolving this, but they are all being addressed.

I’m quite positive about the way we’re working.

Coming to Emmvee, what new module technologies are you looking at?

Emmvee was one of the first companies to bring in TOPCon to India. TopCon is now a dominant technology across the world, and it still has a lot of potential. We are also exploring tandem cells and back contact possibilities that this technology has to offer.

What about other new solutions like Heterojunction Technology (HJT)?

We have chosen TOPCon instead of HJT because it offers better on-field performance. We aim to stay up-to-date with further upgrades to this technology.

But that said, we have to keep learning and be open to other technologies.

But what kind of R&D is going on within Emmvee? What collaborations do you have with external research institutions? 

We are very much committed to R&D. We have a team that is focused on R&D, as we have also become a cell manufacturer. Our responsibility is not only to bring in new technology, but also to maximize the existing technology.

When the industry standard for efficiency of TOPCon cells is around 25% plus, we aim to push it further up. We are working on this and reducing the cost to make it more affordable.

We have a partnership with Fraunhofer ISC in Germany, which is also working a lot on perovskites.

Does Emmvee have plans to backward integrate into other components of the supply chain, like ingots, wafers, and polysilicon?

Absolutely. That would be a natural transition. We’ve not started on any work as of yet, but that is something we intend to.

(Note: Sections of the interview have been paraphrased for better reading. Check out the video for a full chat)