India Only Country To See Large Fall In Chinese Solar Panel Imports: 76 Per Cent Drop In H1 2023 Amid Domestic Manufacturing Surge

India was the only country to see a large fall in imports of solar panels from China in the first half of this year, as the former is focusing on growing domestic solar manufacturing capacity, according to the latest analysis by energy think tank Ember.

This comes even as overall exports of solar panels from China increased by 34 per cent in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year.

The study found that China's module exports to India declined by 76 per cent - down from 9.8 gigawatt (GW) in the first half of 2022 and 2.3 GW during the same period this year.

"This followed the imposition of tariffs as India shifts away from imports to focus on building and utilising domestic manufacturing capacity. India’s domestic solar module manufacturing capacity has stepped up," the energy think tank report said.

Giving more insights on the findings, Neshwin Rodrigues, India electricity policy analyst at Ember said, “India’s dependence on China for solar module imports is well and truly reducing post 2022, with domestic manufacturing now starting to ramp up as a result of the recent policy interventions," Times of India reported.

Rodrigues emphasised the need for an effective policy environment to ensure that solar installations keep pace with the targets set in the National Electricity Plan (NEP).

The Ember research has revealed that India is the second largest recipient of exported solar cells from China.

"There has also been a rise in the number of Chinese cells, which are then assembled locally into solar panels, with India now the second largest destination for exported solar cells after Türkiye," it said.

Overall, China's solar panel exports have seen a significant increase in the first half of this year, reaching 114 GW compared to 85 GW in the same period last year.