INTERVIEW
Interview with Aditya Singhania Q. EQ : What is the background of your group, key people and your vision, aims, motives etc is the outcome AS : Navitas Green Solutions Pvt. Ltd. companies with ed mind like ral of mutual interest of seve le energy space. an aim to make an impact in renewab highly qualiThe key management team consists of ground with back fied young individuals having business 100 million ve abo centuries of experience group turnover ring and inee Eng er, USD. With rich experience in Pow of delivble capa is team Manufacturing industries the ctive effe cost as well as rior ering technically supe r Sola itas Nav ds. nee rgy ene solutions for the in ers lead stry indu the of one g aims at bein lthe Solar Energy market delivering qua s. ity products at the correct price
What technology have you deployed and what are the USP’s
AS : Navitas Solar houses one of the most advanced solar module assembly lines in the country. The clean room manufacturing facility located in Surat hosts state-of-the art production facility equipped with machines imported from from USA, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, etc. combined with a completely automated material movement system. This translates into high quality, reliability and longevity of the solar modules. Quality of the solar module depends greatly on the materials being used and the process involved during the manufacturing process. Solar module manufacturers in general tend to be secretive about their manufacturing process and facility. Navitas Solar on the other hand, welcomes all its customers to supervise the manufacturing process and the materials being used, thus being sure of the quality of the module being delivered. Also with our existing stringer we can cater to 5 busbar needs. Currently the market is witnessing a changeover from 3-4 busbar which is possible at Navitas.
Q.
What do you think of the PM Modi’s Make in India Initiative?
AS : Our current Prime Minister Shree Narendra Modi Ji has been working hard to make economic reforms in the country and making India self reliable for its manufacturing needs. These efforts are still far from showing any real impact on ground realities. India ranks 130 in the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’ which shows the need of drastic policy changes to make the Make In India campaign successful. 38
EQ
January 2016
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INTERVIEW
Q. B.Tech (Civil NIT) Director-Operations at Navitas Solar
AS : The government had introduced DCR content in many projects to support manufacturing in India. This made the use of Indian made solar cells mandatory. While the demand of the DCR modules has been in multiples of 1000MWs the cell manufacturing capacity is very less than this, thus supplying modules for these projects very difficult. Recently, there has been a huge rise in demand in the Chinese market, making the availability of high quality Solar Cells scarce. Moreover, the Indian module market is flooded with Chinese suppliers making the survival of Indian manufacturers challenging.
Q. EQ : What kind r target ? of market is you roducts you are What types of p them. introducing for
projects with ently targeting rr cu is r la So s ity scale solar AS : Navita 5 MW. Indian Util of e e ng ra um nels. While som the maxim Chinese solar pa ith gh w hi e ed id od ov flo pr market is anufacturers solar module m in solar plants do of the Chinese ob ws of pr lems ne , es ality solar ul od m ity qual lar offers high qu So s ita av N n. ai d ag sure this, we surface time an sts of time. To en tegic partte e th ss pa n ca also made stra modules which aterials. We have m ity al qu We are also progh hi use e the reliability. ov pr im to t on g building projners like DuP odules to ongoin m . V IP B of e us ving them a USP moting the ner as well as gi ee g gr in nt em ou th m e e ak ul ects to m solar mod cently launched them We have also re tend to provide in e clients. W r ou em th to to es y ur er ct liv stru de ucts with timely is is Th e. iv high quality prod tit e prices compe while keeping th rience in h years of expe achieved throug and g in er engine manufacturing, . ry steel indust
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What are the expectations from Government in promoting solar module manufacturing in India. What are the current challenges?
Global Solar Trade Wars… Please comment and enlighten our readers on its pros and cons on Indian Manufacturers.
AS : Global Solar Trade War was an outcome of the intensive dumping of low grade solar modules and cells by Chinese companies in other markets making their products unviable by imposing hefty anti-dumping duties on them. While this has opened huge potential for Indian companies for export business, sourcing of the solar cells still poses challenges as China is the major cell supplier. Many of the Chinese manufacturers have started opening manufacturing facilities in other countries like India, Brazil, etc. The capacities of these plants are large compared to Indian manufacturers and now pose challenge and danger for the DCR market.
EQ
January 2016
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INTERVIEW
Q.
Q.
Recent JNNSM, NTPC Tenders have just around 10% DCR. Please comment
AS : While 10% might seem less on the face value, but it is still large when compared to Indian Cell manufacturer’s capacities. To really help Indian manufacturers through DCR content, there should be an increased content of only modules manufactured in India regardless of the cell source.
Q.
Will you and other Indian manufacturers be able to compete with Tier 1 and Tier 2 Chinese Manufacturing?
AS : Indian solar module manufacturers are already competing with Chinese Tier-1 and Tier-2 manufacturers both in terms of Quality and Price. Where Indian manufacturers lag is in the manufacturing capacity which only comes into picture for very large utility scale power projects.
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January 2016
What’s your view on the utility scale market…especially in light of the recent aggressive bidding in MP & Telangana AS : Recently, the utility scale power project biddings have seen a drastic and alarming fall in the bid prices. This is making the projects financially unviable for many players and is leading to low quality installations, thus leading utility scale solar industry in danger as a whole. While this is bad enough, many of the bid winners are also backing out of the project, thus making the complete tender void.
Q.
Whats your view on the Roof Top Market (40 GW Target), Off-Grid, Rural Markets and other applications of solar? AS : Roof top and off-grid market is where the solar industry actually shines. Solar Energy is a highly scalable energy generation method which can be installed at the point of consumption. With the recent introduction of net metering policies in many states and installation of Solar Plant being made compulsory, the market has a huge potential. This is also a market where the Indian manufacturers can really make impact. Indian rural areas have an acute shortage of electricity supply and small offgrid systems are a need of the hour in these places.
Q.
What’s your view on the export opportunities?
AS : With the ongoing Global Trade War, the export market for Indian modules have a huge potential in European and American market. Also Africa, Middle East and Asean countries have huge potential yet untapped. Countries like Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Combodia are opening up. Also Southern African nations are coming up with their national solar policies throwing open vast opportunities.
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