66% of total solar panel imports from China: Piyush Goyal

Solar power panels worth Rs 2.92 crore were imported from China

About 66% of the total imports of solar power panels were from China during the first three months of the fiscal, Parliament was informed today.

As many as 2.92 crore solar power panels were imported from China out of the total imports of 4.41 crore panels during April-June, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

Solar panel imports from China constituted over 70% of the total imports of country in the previous fiscal. India imported 16.15 crore solar panels last fiscal, of which 11.35 crore were from China.

Similarly, in 2013-14, solar panel imports from China constituted over 65% of total imports by the country. India imported 15.41 crore solar panels in 2013-14 which included 10.04 crore from China.

Other countries on which India depends heavily for import of solar panels include Taiwan and Malaysia.

Earlier in August, the minister had informed the House the total annual installed domestic manufacturing capacity of the solar cells and modules is 1,328 MW and 2,523, MW respectively.

He listed several initiatives taken for promoting domestic production that include reduction/exemption of custom and excise duty on several input raw materials required for manufacturing of cells and modules.

The government also provides capital subsidy to manufacturers under special incentive package scheme (SIPS) & Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIP).

In a separate reply, the minister said the government has released Rs 1,584.21 crore for solar programme and Rs 272.40 crore for wind power.

Total installed solor power generation capacity as on November 26 is 4,666.60 MW. The total installed wind power generation capacity is 24,677.72 MW as on October 31, 2015.

Earlier this year, government increased India's solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) by five times from 20,000 MW to 1,00,000 MW by 2022.

This target comprises 40,000 MW of rooftop solar projects and 60,000 MW through large and medium scale grid connected solar power projects.