India is laying out plans to significantly expand its solar manufacturing capabilities by the end of the decade. Speaking at the opening day of the TaiyangNews Solar Technology Conference India 2025, Subramanyam Pulipaka, CEO of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), revealed projections that India's solar module manufacturing capacity will soar to 160 GW by 2030.
This leap would represent a doubling of the current module capacity of approximately 80 GW in 2025 and a significant rise in cell production capacity — set to increase eightfold from 15 GW this year to 120 GW by 2030. Wafer and polysilicon capacities are also expected to reach 100 GW each. Pulipaka’s remarks underline India’s growing intent to build a self-reliant solar manufacturing ecosystem.
These projections come after a record 24.5 GW (AC) of solar power was connected to the grid in 2024, propelling India’s total installed solar capacity to 100 GW (AC) — twice the size of its wind power fleet.
Coinciding with this optimistic forecast, NSEFI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SolarPower Europe (SPE), the European solar sector’s leading association. The MoU seeks to strengthen cooperation, extending the two organisations' previous partnership in solar deployment into the realm of photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing.
“India’s solar journey depends on getting the 4Ms right - Machines, Materials, Manpower, and Money,” said Pulipaka. “To build a complete manufacturing ecosystem, international collaboration, especially with Europe, is vital,” he stressed.
