Top 5 Takeaways From Intersolar 2022 In India

Intersolar 2022 in Ahmedabad, or the Smarter E India as it is called in India now, finished up last week. Held from December 7 to 9 at the Helipad centre in Gandhinagar, near Ahmedabad, the event continued on the substantial shifts we have been observing in the solar and related spaces since this year started.

Right at the top was the dominance of Indian module and other PV equipment makers. A corollary to that of course was the absence of Chinese brands we have grown so used to seeing at every event. The 40% BCD and ALMM conditions are clearly biting. Expect a very different list of top sellers in the market for modules, for H2 of this financial year.

EV Charging continues to progress, as evident from the number of stalls dedicated to showcasing solutions in the space. At the same time, speaking to many of the firms, it was obvious that many challenges are being discovered across states, from inadequate infrastructure to handle fast chargers to maintainance issues. Even the fact that over 20 states and 6 union territories have announced EV specific tariffs has not been enough to drive change on the ground. It was good to see issues like the impact of EV integration on distribution networks discussed at the event conference, as these issues are likely to become much more serious as numbers ramp up.

Energy Storage remains at an inflexion point, with further movement challenged by issues linked to pricing, awareness, and policy. The big catalyst would yet be the price of storage, going by our interactions with potential customers as well as vendors, although there was a much higher realisation of the need to look at quality issues.

Polycrystalline modules  are going out fast, and use cases, even faster than we ever imagined. Hastened by supply side issues especially when it comes to cells, the few poly-module makers face the double challenge of selling a clearly outdated product as well as quality concerns. Multiple installers pointed out that even modules that are eligible for government subsidies cannot be hand in quantities, leading to slowdown in solar additions in the host state itself (Gujarat). Incidentally, Gujarat has been the standout success story of 2021-22 when it comes to subsidy based rooftop solar additions. The last bastion of poly modules might yet be the KUSUM scheme’s solar pump components, hearing the feedback from some operators.

Interestingly, equipment suppliers  for the PV industry migt have been fewer in number this time, but most seemed in a much better mood when it comes to business prospects and actual deal closures. Clearly the rush for solar manufacturing domestically has finally flowed out in the form of real orders for these suppliers.

Finally, blame the Gujarat assembly election results on December 8, or the electioneering that preceded it the previous week, footfalls were noticeably lower this year, even as the push from the organisers and key country partners like Germany was noticeable higher. A strong conference agenda and speaker lineup had much to talk about and share with the audience.

However, there might be a case for the organisers to consider a new venue for the show next year, as more and more states play catch up in the solar stakes. Even the Gujarat based solar firms stood out for their expanding ambitions across the country, making the case even stronger to move the event to the next big growth market like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or even Tamil Nadu.

To catch SaurEnergy’s interviews with some of the biggest names at the event, pls keep watching this space as we drop the video interviews soon!