German-Indian Solar Partnership Accelerates India’s Expansion Plans

The Indian government is considering a further expansion of its already ambitious energy goals: plans are currently in place for an additional 100 GW (gigawatts) of photovoltaic output by 2022. It is expected that photovoltaic systems with a total output of approximately 2.5 GW will be newly installed this year. That is twice as much compared to 2014. An additional 4-6 GW is expected for 2016. This would put India in fourth place on the list of top solar markets worldwide. The ambitious goals of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gained additional relevance after the recent visit of a high-level delegation of the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel to India. During this visit, a German-Indian solar partnership was set up, in which it is stated that India will receive up to one billion euro from Germany for the PV expansion. German companies in India should also benefit from this.

From 4 to 6 October 2015, the German delegation accompanying Angela Merkel visited Delhi and Bangalore on the occasion of the third German-Indian intergovernmental consultations. The general subject of the visit was the future energy supply on the subcontinent. During the visit, a total of 18 declarations were signed which ensure India the support of more than two billion euro for the expansion of renewable energy– with one billion of this earmarked for the further expansion of solar power. A large part of the funds is to be provided within the framework of low-interest loans.

This also provides a positive environment for the Intersolar India 2015, which will take place from 18 November in Mumbai, in the heart of Maharashtra. This year, the largest Indian exhibition for the solar industry has been fully booked with 200 exhibitors from all over the world. 9,500 visitors are expected.

Conference programme reflects growth plans India still has some challenges ahead with regard to tackling this growth. For instance, India currently still lacks capacities for the production of PV modules, and lacks national and international investors. The Intersolar India 2015 unites international organizations, investors and political representatives in order to work on tackling upcoming tasks together. This will also be underlined by the Intersolar India Conference, which will be held during the exhibition from 18 to 20 November.

The keynote speaker of the conference is Professor Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Head of the Fraunhofer Instituts für Solare Energiesysteme (German institute for solar energy systems, ISE). His subject: “The Role of Solar Energy in our Future, Renewables-Based Energy System”. In the course of the conference, there are also other subjects on the program that target the growth goals of the government directly, such as “Shifting Gear from MW to GW – India’s Emergence as a Dominating Global PV Market” or “India′s PV Market: Driving A New Momentum” – both on 18 November. Other sessions, for instance on 19 November, target project-related subjects in a very practical way, such as “Project Development: What does it Take to Accomplish a Successful Project” or “Project Financing: Promising Prospects in the Indian Context”.