Domestic manufacturing and supply chain development dominated conversations at the recently concluded Mercom India Renewables Summit 2025. Industry leaders weighed in on the opportunities and constraints shaping India’s solar growth story.

India’s solar manufacturing sector is undergoing an aggressive expansion. Leading firms have already scaled up both cell and module production, with multi-gigawatt projects now standard. TOPCon has emerged as the clear technology of choice, while mono-PERC is being slowly phased out. Speakers emphasized that this growth must be strategic and long-term, rather than opportunistic.

Despite progress in cells and modules, the component ecosystem comprising encapsulants, backsheets, glass, junction boxes, aluminum frames, and even mounting structures continues to rely heavily on imports.

Some Indian companies are pushing to close that gap. Avinash Hiranandani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director at RenewSys India, announced a 30 GW expansion in encapsulant lines, noting that their blends of ethylene vinyl acetate and polyolefin elastomer are already widely used by Indian module makers.

Bhupendra Singh Rawat, CEO of Dhash PV Technologies, a junction box maker, said his company is scaling from 40 GW to 63 GW and diversifying into DC cables and polymers to secure a larger share of the value chain.

Even in components like mounting structures, firms are innovating. Rahil Mehrotra, General Manager at JSW Steel, stated that the company developed a zinc–aluminum–magnesium coated steel for coastal projects in response to developers’ complaints about long wait times for imported materials. “We cut lead times from three months to local supply,” he said, framing it as a case of how targeted innovation can strengthen supply chains.

Manufacturers were candid that policy has been decisive in driving investment. Prashant Mathur, CEO of Saatvik Solar, admitted their expansion plan would not have moved forward without “ALMM clarity” from the government. Others credited measures like the minimum import price on glass with unlocking new capacity.

Still, many noted that piecemeal interventions aren’t enough. India needs a complete ecosystem, not just support for a few components.

Export markets, especially the U.S., remain attractive. But leaders warned against leaning too heavily on them. Raj Prabhu, CEO and Co-Founder at Mercom Capital Group, said, “U.S. anti-dumping investigations now include India, Indonesia, and Laos. If you rely too much on exports to the U.S., you will face problems.”

He also noted that India has mostly been “licensing foreign tech, not inventing.” Without stronger innovation and investment support, he warned, India could end up with scale but little technological edge.

Developers highlighted that module availability has improved, but other equipment shortages persist. Transformers, isolators, insulators, and high-voltage switchgear carry delivery timelines of nearly 20 months. Land aggregation is another drag. Acquiring 1,200 to 1,500 acres now takes 15 to 16 months, nearly twice as long as it did previously. Developers emphasized that unless land and supply chain issues are resolved, scaling will remain challenging.

The mood at the summit reflected a clear ambition that every component of the renewable energy supply chain should be made in India. As Amol Anand, Director at Loom Solar, put it, “Government wants every component made in India, and that is pushing us too.”

Innovation is also entering production lines. Amit Barve, CEO of Rayzon Solar, pointed to AI-driven quality checks, such as inline diode testing and automated junction box placement, which are already in use to reduce errors and boost throughput. These steps demonstrate that India’s ambitions extend beyond scale to encompass efficiency and quality.

The overall tone was a mix of confidence and realism. India may be the world’s third-largest solar market in terms of installations, but it still trails in research, funding, and homegrown technology. Gaps that could limit its long-term edge. As Prabhu warned, without a stronger emphasis and investment in R&D, India risks being “scale-driven but technology-dependent.”