Energetica India Magazine -October 2020

INTERVIEW B rijesh P rajapati : Yes, we have EV Charger products and already our management has decided to come with this in the India market with our quality products. Also discussions are going on with some Indian reputed companies about EV Chargers. We believe, EV chargers and Li-Ion batteries have good scope in Indian market. For future scope, Sofarsolar is very much interested in EV segment business in India. We believe in prompt service support with long vision reliable product business policy, and grow together with lesser com - plain ratio. In the future, we will develop more ‘Photovoltaic Storage and Charging’ products with excellent performance. We already have strong market presence in rooftop solar busi - ness and also in EPC sector. As the government is aggressively promoting manufactur- ing in India, how do you see the market scope for Sofarso- lar in OEM segment? B rijesh P rajapati : Well, very interesting question about local manufacturing setup. In a 2020-2021 year Sofarsolar is very aggressive with new agenda for business expansion with new innovative products along with some up-gradation on current products. We have good installation in rooftop market and also last year our business witnessed significant growth, par - ticularly in rooftop segment so it’s very easy to start local man - ufacturing with existing client data based and we are ready to take up any task related to Government policy. We respect our clients in renewable industry and the Government. Being a contributor in the renewable industry we will not take a back step in future as well and will never compromise on products quality with on time prompt service response. We are doing good business in OEM segment, and are on top position in OEM development in Indian market. Our management has decided to start local manufacturing unit in 2021, and will an - nounce very soon about the location. We are very aggressive towards developing our business on local manufacturing concept. How do you see government’s steps amid Covid-19 scenario? Any suggestions. B rijesh P rajapati : The COVID-19 pandemic has brought glob - al manufacturing and supply chain realignment into sharp focus, with the outbreak accelerating a wide array of estab - lished trends. From strategic risk diversification to cost con - siderations and business continuity concerns, businesses are increasingly looking for alternative global manufacturing des - tinations, with manufacturing in India set to benefit. The gov - ernment assured renewable energy developers of providing more business-friendly environment and policies like payment security mechanism to lower risk on investment. Government is committed to managing curtailments to enhance the Ease of Doing Business for developers in the renewable energy sector. Government need to think about more on Farmer subsidy scheme with more incentive proposals for PM KUSUM YOJNA and Rooftop Segment Subsidy. Post coronavirus, how do you see the market scope for EVs as compared to traditional ICE-based automobiles? B rijesh P rajapati : India’s Electric Vehicle (EV) segment has grown in recent years. The pace of such growth, however, has been slow. Still policy support has been insufficient for realising the full potential of the EV market. The sale of EVs re - main low, especially when compared to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a policy shift, or even an overhaul, in various sectors of the economy. Within this shift, the Indian govern - ment must also rework its policy approach for the EV sector. EV sales in India are mostly driven by electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, and the four-wheeler segment is still small. The pace of this segment will continue to be slow, since there are limited incentives for the adoption of EVs in personal mobility, and none for four-wheelers. As the auto sector strug - gles to recover its pace, the government must consider going slow on its EV deadlines and contemplate leveraging alterna - tive cleaner gaseous fuels such as auto LPG. 26 energetica INDIA- October_2020