Energetica India Magazine

Director Alishan Green Energy NIKHIL AGRAWAL Q India’s module manufacturing ca- pacity is expanding rapidly. How do you see demand for encapsulation materials evolving over the next three to five years? Nikhil Agrawal: India’s module man- ufacturing capacity is expanding at an unprecedented pace, and we be- lieve the demand for encapsulation materials will grow not only in terms of volume but also in terms of tech- nology. As the industry rapidly shifts towards TOPCon, HJT, BC and other advanced cell technologies, conven- tional encapsulation solutions will no longer be sufficient for all applications. Manufacturers will increasingly require application-specific encapsulants with enhanced reliability, lower degradation and better compatibility with different BOM combinations. At Alishan, we have been working on future technologies for several years and have developed advanced encap- sulation solutions including Alishan EPE, Alishan EPE-DC, and Alishan Low Acid EVA, each designed to ad- dress the specific performance and re - liability requirements of next-gener- ation solar modules. We will continue introducing innovative encapsulation materials that address the evolving re- liability requirements of next-genera- tion solar modules. Q You have announced plans to reach 10 GW encapsulant capacity. What is the current status of this expansion, and what investments are supporting it? Nikhil Agrawal: As we mentioned, 10 GW is our independent expansion plan. By the end of this year, we expect to achieve a manufacturing capacity of 10 GW for encapsulants through our continued investments in advanced manufacturing infrastructure and technology development. Along with this expansion, we are also strengthen- ing our 3 GW backsheet manufactur- ing capacity to offer a comprehensive solution for the evolving solar industry. We are also pleased that Tier-1 man- ufacturers are considering Alishan as a preferred partner to support their vertical integration plans through strategic partnerships and joint devel- opment initiatives. We are currently in discussions with leading module manu- facturers in India and expect to share further updates as these collaborations progress. Q TOPCon has become the dominant technology today. How is your product roadmap evolving for BC cells, HJT and tandem technologies? Nikhil Agrawal: We have been working on TOPCon and all future technology encapsulants since long and have devel- oped nearly a dozen products for solv- ing one or other issues related to the new cells and mechanisms. Initially, we believed that EPE would be the one- for-all encapsulant to mitigate most degradation modes associated with TOPCon and HJT. However, our exten- sive module studies demonstrated that different BOM combinations require different encapsulation approaches. We have therefore optimised EVA/POE ra- tios, introduced special functionalities into different layers, reduced acidic en- vironments and mitigated secondary reactions affecting long-term module reliability. Looking ahead, we have al- ready initiated developments for BC B y the end of this year, we expect to achieve a manufac- turing capacity of 10 GW for encapsulants through our continued investments in advanced manufacturing infra- structure and technology development, said Nikhil Agrawal, Director, Alishan Green Energy, in an interview with Ener- getica India. 26 energetica INDIA- Jul-Aug_2026 INTERVIEW