Top 10 Solar PV Module Suppliers in India for 2019

Here we take a look at the leading solar PV module supplier in India (utility-scale and rooftop projects) for the year 2019.

Solar energy has become the leading resource for renewable energy expansion worldwide, and the case is similar in India. Where it now ranks ahead of wind energy, as the leading contributor to India’s renewable energy generational capacity.

According to the latest data made available by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), as on February 29, 2020, a cumulative renewable energy capacity of 132.15 GW had been installed in the country, with an additional capacity of 46.69 GW under various stages of implementation and 34.07 GW under various stages of bidding. Of these, grid-connected solar power capacity is at 35.07 GW, with 21.35 GW in implementation and an additional 31.27 GW at various stages of tendering.

Now while the Indian solar market is expanding as quickly as it is, a majority of its demand (roughly 70 percent) is being met through imports from China and other foreign markets. And the Indian Government is now planning to quickly transition to a more locally dependent market as it wants to reduce the imports from foreign suppliers (especially China). In line with which, new announcements have been made which will see import duties on Chinese imports rise to (at its highest) 40 percent of the cost of the modules. A heavy import duty, and one that perhaps will come as a boost for the local manufacturers.

But for 2019, while the safeguard duty was in place with import rates running at 15 percent, the total modules supplied to the market are estimated to be around 8,366 MW, largely dominated by Chinese manufacturers.

Here we take a look at the leading solar PV module supplier in India (utility-scale and rooftop projects) for the year 2019.

Risen Energy

The leading module supplier in the Indian market for 2019 was Chinese brand Risen Energy. The company finished with an 11.6 percent share of the market, inching out local manufacture Waaree to the top spot. The company, as per research agency Bridge to India, held the top spot for a second consecutive year.

Waaree

Mumbai-headquartered solar PV module manufacturer Waaree secured a 10.6 percent market share in 2019, finishing second in the overall market behind Risen Energy. However, it did beat the likes of Vikram Solar and Adani to claim the spot of the leading local module supplier in the market.

Znshine

Another Chinese manufacturer, closing out the top three supplier list is Znshine. The firm grabbed a 9.6 percent share of the market to finish in the third position. Overall, the firm’s exports to India declined in 2019 which fell from over a gigawatt in 2018 to roughly 800 MWs in 2019, however, it still maintained a comfortable share in the market.

Vikram Solar

Fourth in the list, and just marginally losing out to Znshine in the top 3 suppliers list is Kolkatta based manufacturer Vikram Solar. The firm lost out on top three by a margin of roughly 8-10 MWs, as it grabbed a market share of 9.5 percent to Znshines’ 9.6 percent. The firm has received a 300 MW solar project from NTPC and is expected to stay firm at the top of the list for 2020.

Adani

Following right behind Vikram Solar is Adani which grabbed a 9.5 percent market share in the company. Adani perhaps is one the largest IPPs and project developers in the country, and its indulgence in the manufacturing business buoyed by the recent win in the country’s first manufacturing linked tender (annual mandatory manufacturing capacity of 2000 MW) could see it challenging for the top spot very soon.

Trina Solar

First of the five Chinese firms that will close out the top 10 is Trina Solar. The firm grabbed an 8.5 percent share in the Indian market in 2019 to finish sixth. It is believed that the company was actually leading the market for the first half of the year but then lost out to the others by year-end.

Renesola

Next in the list is Renesola which bagged a 6 percent market share in 2019, to slot in at seventh position behind Trina Solar. The Chinese manufacturer had crossed the milestone of 20 GW in solar module deliveries globally at the back end of 2019.

JinkoSolar

In eight position is JinkoSolar, which finished eighth in the list with a 4.6 percent share in the market. Not the best position for the leading supplier, however, the firm has had a good start in 2020. The manufacturer, according to JMK Research, was the leading solar module supplier in India in the first quarter of 2020.

LONGi Solar

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-efficiency mono-crystalline solar cells and modules, LONGi Solar only managed to finish 9th in the list of leading suppliers in India for 2019. The company managed a 4.5 percent share in the market but will hope to improve on that in 2020, as it has signed a 1.2 GW multi-year module supply agreement with Adani Green Energy.

Canadian Solar

Closing out the top 10 is the seventh Chinese module manufacturer in the list – Canadian Solar. The firm held a 3.8 percent share in the Indian market in 2019. In April, the firm had stated that it had experienced the limited impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its production facilities based in China, and is expected to hold a bigger share in the market in 2020.

{It must be noted here that this list was sourced from a research report by JMK Research and Analytics. However, a report by Bridge to India has a slightly different ranking for the top module suppliers for the year 2019.}