Updated ALMM List For Solar Modules- Contendre Greenergy, Ritika Systems Make Entry

In its latest and last revision for 2021 (number 4) to the ALMM list (Approved List of Module Manufacturers), issued on December 30, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) sees the addition of two more solar module manufacturers.

The two new entrants, Contendre Greenergy Pvt Limited from Maharashtra, and Ritika Systems Pvt Limited from Rajasthan, have been approved for total capacities of 47 MW and 40 MW respectively. Both the forms have got approval for their Multi-crystalline modules as well as some Mono PERC production.

The ALMM list has seen a significant jump in both, total approved capacities and number of manufacturers, ever since the first list came out on March 10, 2019. The list has seen four subsequent revisions, all in 2021. From an initial 23 manufacturers adding upto 8200 MW of total capacity, the list today has expanded to 41 manufacturers with capacity over 10,500 MW now.

However, even this increase should be dwarfed by what we expect to see in 2022-23, when new manufacturing capacities that are created are entered for approval by various manufacturers. It has to be said here that industry feedback on the whole site inspection and approval process has not been positive, with many manufacturers citing a very high cost as a major disappointment so far.

It is worth highlighting here that India saw over 11 GW of solar generation capacity added in 2021, and experts are estimating anything between 13 GW to 16 GW of new capacity in 2022. These would be driven by a mix of utility , commercial and residential rooftop, in the ratio  of 65:20:15, as of now. A further boost could come from success with component A of PM KUSUM scheme, for instance. What that means is that nominally, domestic production capacity can comfortably service over 50% of domestic demand, a number that should be considered comfortable enough by the government to make long term plans with. Keep in mind that some of our largest manufacturers remain keen to exploit the export market, which has opened up due to shortages from China and tariff barriers on Chinese origin equipment, especially in the US.

Currently, major developers claim that it’s not just a matter of matching capacity to demand, it is also a matter of higher domestic prices, and in some cases, quality issues that hinder higher domestic offtake. For instance, most developers are seeking to move on completely from multi-crystalline modules, that most smaller manufacturers make. These manufacturers will be sell served by a thriving domestic rooftop market, besides faster movement of PM KUSUM and other such schemes like the CPSU 12 GW scheme.