Tata Power to open up 4GW solar cell, module manufacturing facility run by robots

• Indian energy titan Tata Power has authorized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian state government of Tamil Nadu to invest roughly INR3,000 crores (US$ 380 million) in setting up a 4GW cell and 4GW module manufacturing facility in the state.

To be situated in the Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu, the facility will certainly be constructed over a period of 16 months and will certainly be situated on a greenfield advancement site.

It will create both mono-PERC bifacial and n-Type TOPCon modules, both of which will be "high electrical power modules with industry-leading effectiveness," Tata Power claimed.

The manufacturing facility will certainly additionally apply 'Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR)', which make use of lasers and cameras for transferring components and will certainly seek to execute market 4.0 standards, which Tata Power said would certainly cause a "completely interconnected manufacturing facility consisting of clever manufacturing devices and innovations."

There will still be a demand for human employees, however, and Tata Power said over 2,000 individuals will be used at the site, with most of these being women.

" Tata Power Solar's new production facility is being established with the assistance and assistance of Tamil Nadu Government, will certainly assist to satisfy the climbing demand for clean energy solutions in the nation in addition to providing huge job opportunity," said Praveer Sinha, CEO and taking care of supervisor of Tata Power.

While it was unclear from the announcement whether Tata Power would make use of the cell and module capacity to service its very own projects-- it lately revealed "India's largest floating solar park" in addition to commissioning the country's "biggest single axis solar tracker system"-- it will be an advantage to the Indian solar market which has actually been under increasing pressure complying with rate rises.

Rising cost of living is currently causing considerable disturbance throughout India's solar sector, with sustained rises in module prices, commodity cost inflation and skyrocketing freight rates causing large higher pressure on Indian modules, with prices up 38% on mid-2020 degrees. Lots of designers have actually turned to stockpiling modules in the middle of supply anxieties.

Module prices in Indian have actually skyrocketed in current months following the implementation of the nation's basic customs duty (BCD) on solar cells and modules, currently standing at 25% and 40%, respectively, with "no plans to change this".

As India's solar industry comes to grips with a series of interrupting elements, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has actually claimed solar investments in the nation will require to more than double if it is to meet its climate targets.

IEEFA energy economic expert and India lead, Vibhuti Garg, stated the energy transition in India will require the government to act "as an enabler by rolling out 'big bang' policies and reforms to increase the implementation of renewable energy."

"This means not just enhancing investment in wind and solar power capacity, yet likewise in creating an entire ecosystem around renewable resource," she stated.

The MoU was authorized by Thiru Krishnan, additional principal assistant to Government of Tamil Nadu, Industries Department and Sinha in the presence of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Stalin and other elderly authorities of the state throughout the Tamil Nadu Investors' First Port of Call, Investment Conclave 2022.