Tax clouds over solar power: Still a long way for the sun to shine in India

Import duties on modules and cells from April 1 will add to the regulations and legacy issues confronting solar power developers

For centuries, Indians have worshipped the sun god, realising its potential for unbridled, clean energy — in less than two hours, the earth receives from the sun the amount of energy we consume annually. Today, solar and wind together contribute 25 per cent of India’s total power capacity and 8 per cent of the electricity produced. There’s still a long way for the sun to shine in India — after the Narendra Modi government set a 500 gigawatt (Gw) renewables installation target by 2030, a five-fold jump from current levels.

One can argue that, after missing a previously proposed renewable