New Delhi: Solar power project developers’ threat to import solar cells from countries such Japan, Korea, Singapore & others is music to the ears of Indian solar cell manufacturers.
The producers are of the view that it’s better to compete with these countries than “non-market” economies like Chinese suppliers. “We have been saying the same thing over the past 2 years that anti-dumping responsibility would not have any adverse impact over the solar programme of the nation,” said a senior executive of a Delhi-based foremost solar cell manufacturer.
He said with the developers choosing countries for example the European Union, The Korea, Japan & Canada, it would be a competitive market. “We at least won’t have to compete with non-market economies for instance China,” said the executive.
Power project developers had previously said if a dumping responsibility is enforced on cheaper imports, the solar power price would go up and the government’s aim to bring down solar power price would don’t succeed. Last month, India slapped dumping responsibility on solar solar gear imported in the country from the US, China, Malaysia & Taiwan, in order to protect the domestic manufacturing of the same.
The Directorate-General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD), in its final findings, recommended anti-dumping duties of up to $0.48 per watt on solar cells panels coming from the US and 0.81 per watt on Chinese. The ministries of new for new and renewable energy & project developers are apprehensive that this would double up the price of solar power generation. The developers, though, had written to the govt that they would still depend on imports, however from another set of countries. The domestic manufacturers are of the view that the price of solar power would remain at Rs 7.5 per unit by 2020 if indigenous solar cells are used. The current price of solar power in the country is the Rs 6.5-8 per unit.
The industry is also optimistic of scaling their current capacity by 300 Mw from current 1,260 Mw, by the year-end. “Dumping responsibility leads to 20 % improve in the price of solar cells, this in turn translates into a 10 % improve in the price of power project. This also over the period of the project will fall to 8 %. It’s better than the country wasting Rs 11,000 cr of overseas exchange in importing solar cells,” said Ajay Goel, CEO, and Tata Power Solar.
As per to the information shared by the solar power producers, the price of the Chinese solar cells is around 58-61 cents per watts, which is set to go up to $1.20 watts, once the dumping duty is enforced. Indigenously manufactured cells price 44-48 cents per watt. Power producers said the price of cells coming from the US, Singapore, Canada, Japan & European Union would price amid 75-90 cents.
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