We focus on efficiency rather than number of people: Emmvee Photovoltaic

It was in June last year, when results from PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), an autonomous testing facility catering to the downstream solar industry and affiliated with the Kiwa Group, released its newest PV Module Reliability Scorecard. The 10th edition of the widely awaited annual scorecard of solar module quality featured 53 manufacturers as Top Performers in PVEL’s rigorous testing. The 2024 list had a remarkable achievement for India, with 10 out of the 53 featured manufacturers coming from the country, representing a significant 19 percent of the total. Even more so perhaps, was the performance of Emmvee Photovoltaic, a Bengaluru based manufacturer that has been around since 1992. The firm emerged as the leading scorer from India, as the top performer across all seven test categories used by PVEL. Headquartered in Bengaluru with offices in Germany as well, Emmvee has for long sold its modules on a premium positioning, while finding ready acceptance in quality conscious markets globally.

SaurEnergy caught up with the senior management of Emmvee, in the form of D.V. Manjunatha, Founder and managing Director, and Suhas Donthi, President and CEO of the Emmvee Group.

At the outset, could you provide an update on Emmvee’s latest capacity numbers and progress on your expansion plans?

Suhas Donthi: We currently have about 5 GW of module capacity, and we are adding another 2 GW in the upcoming quarter. Besides that, we also have plans for another 4 gigawatts capacity additions in the coming year.

Emmvee has consistently received high ratings for quality, as we saw in the Kiwa PVEL ratings last year. Given this, isn’t your share of exports relatively small?

Suhas Donthi: We were amongst the first movers in exports to global markets. Up to 2014, 100% of our modules were exported to markets like Italy, Germany, and France. As the new energy goals of these markets headed near completion, we focused on fulfilling the growing demand in India’s solar industry as that gained momentum. Our strict quality standards and ethical business practices have earned us a stellar reputation that has further enabled us with the domestic business regardless of the schemes etc. And also even though we have entered the US market, we are focused and keen on the demand in the domestic market, the customers and long-term relationships that we have here, we are focused and committed to that.

With ALMM becoming the touchstone in India, do global quality certifications matter in the Indian market? Are you able to charge a premium in the highly competitive industry we have right now?

Suhas Donthi: We certainly don’t want to bottom fish when it comes to picking up orders, we do enjoy certain kind of preference for being the ‘manufacturer of choice’ for our developers because these Developers are also experienced in setting up power plants for over 30 years and there is a level of quality consciousness in the Indian Developer Community. Our reputation for maintaining global standards of quality gives us a preference among developers who prioritize long-term performance.

D.V. Manjunatha: It is crucial for customers to trust the product as these are long-term and our consistency has made it reassuring for the Developers to select us as their preferred panel provider.

Suhas Donthi: While many manufacturers maintain decent quality, we focus on maintaining global standards. Emmvee remains one among four globally recognized manufacturers that uphold these high standards and the only Indian manufacturer to do so and putting the test results out in public says a lot about the DNA of quality our business ethos from the start till now.

Its interesting that you have your manufacturing base in Bengaluru, even as a large part of the solar sector has moved to Gujarat , with a focus on relatively smaller cities like Surat, Rajkot etc. How has being based in Bangalore helped you?

D.V. Manjunatha: Bangalore is a hub for R&D and technology, making it ideal for developing high-quality products. Access to a skilled talent pool, efficient logistics, and proximity to research institutions have all been beneficial.

Suhas Donthi: Before it was the IT city, Bengaluru has been the core of electronics manufacturing, being in Bengaluru allows us to attract and retain highly skilled professionals. Our team appreciates the access and quality of life that comes with staying in a metro city, they are comfortable, their kids have access to good schools, healthcare, have good connectivity to neighboring regions and that is what helps us retain excellent talent, which helps maintain high-quality standards.

Given Bangalore’s skilled workforce, would you say Emmvee operates with a leaner workforce compared to manufacturers in smaller cities?

Suhas Donthi: We focus on efficiency rather than number of people. Automation plays a key role in our operations, we keep testing new technologies, use AI, but the idea is to improve upon the workings and making the production lines more efficient, while we continue to expand our workforce and scale. Our approach improves production efficiency without reducing employment opportunities.

All through 2024, and now this year, we are seeing much larger orders in India, with even Gigawatt scale orders no linger the rarity they were until recently. How large is your order book, and how do these orders work in terms of delivery timelines?

D.V. Manjunatha: We are also collecting and fulfilling GW scale orders. Typically, it takes 1 to 1.5 years. We are 100% on track for delivery. Large developers like NTPC, Ayana, Cleanmax are already our regular clients.

How do you see the situation of domestic solar cell prices being higher than imported ones due to DCR requirements. Do you expect this trend to continue over the next 6-12 months?

D.V. Manjunatha: This is more seasonal because in India everyone wants to do things in the last minute. So in the Jan-March quarter you’ll see such things. But largely the pricing is reasonable and minor shifts due to demand-supply dynamics remains, but nothing to worry about.

Given that cell manufacturing is more complex than module assembly, do you believe industry capacity projections will be met in time for ALCM in 2026?

D.V. Manjunatha: Cell manufacturing is definitely more complex, no doubt about it. People who succeed will be the ones who give top technology selection, equipment quality, and infrastructure. We have seen that challenges have reduced along the way. Today near 2.5 GW cell capacity we have built and will expand further as the know-how is now way more than what it was before. Having been in this space for a while, we have seen it all and are now in a better position to leverage the technologies available in the right way to scale.

The industry has shifted to Topcon technology. What do you see as the next big advancement?

Suhas Donthi: Currently, Topcon is certainly mainstream, particularly in China and India. Other technologies like perovskite are being explored, but large-scale adoption is still uncertain. Topcon will continue for the coming years.

There’s talk of an approved list for wafers and ingots at some stage. What’s your view on when that should be implemented?

Suhas Donthi: It’s important to secure the supply chain. Only when conversations in this direction proceed, we’ll see the manufacturing ecosystem starting to work towards the same. It’s good that the Government is taking this initiative and is trying to understand what can be done. Dates will flow from such meaningful discussions.

Developers like Renew Power and Adani have moved into manufacturing, but few manufacturers have successfully entered EPC. Does Emmvee have EPC plans?

D.V. Manjunatha: No, we are focused solely on manufacturing. There is more than enough to do in this space and we are completely committed. Getting distracted at this stage will not be our goal as EPC requires a very different level of approach.

Since you got into Photovoltaic manufacturing in 2006-7, what do you count as your biggest strength?

Suhas Donthi: Our biggest strength is consistency. Since 2006, we have navigated industry cycles, policy changes, and market fluctuations while maintaining steady growth and highest quality standards. We remain committed to long-term sustainability and high-quality manufacturing.