Que: Can you please tell us a bit about First Energy?

Ans: Yes, First Energy has over 10 years of experience in supplying solar cells, solar wafers, and related solar materials to the Indian market. We have been participating in the India REI exhibition every year since 2018. Over the years, we have built a strong client base in India, including many reputed and long-term partners.

Que: Can you share the kind of capacity you are currently handling for the Indian market?

Ans: Currently, we have supplied more than 10 GW to the Indian market. We began operations here in 2015, and today we serve a large number of clients with both mono PERC and TOPCon combinations.

Que: These days, DCR (Domestic Content Requirement) is gaining more traction in India. Due to this, non-DCR cells are facing increasing challenges because of certain policies. How do you see this shift impacting your business, and how is First Energy positioni

Ans: That's a great question, and it's something that concerns every supplier catering to the Indian market. At First Energy, we actually began exploring DCR production as early as 2017, during the time when anti-dumping and safeguard duties were introduced on Chinese solar products.

We had even gone as far as planning factory layouts and scouting for factory locations. Unfortunately, those plans had to be paused due to some geopolitical conflicts. However, we are now revisiting those plans with the intention to invest again. We understand that DCR production is becoming increasingly important, especially under India’s strong and forward-looking government.

The ‘Make in India’ initiative is a growing trend, not only in solar but across several industries. We recognize this and are aligning our future plans accordingly to support the Indian market.

Que: It’s encouraging to hear that you’re planning to invest in DCR-compliant manufacturing for India. Could you tell us about the key technical strengths and benefits that First Energy offers compared to other players in the market?

Ans: Currently, our main products are TOPCon and PERC. While the market share of PERC is gradually decreasing, there are still many ongoing and upcoming projects in India that require PERC technology this year and even into next year.

In the PERC segment, we hold a significant advantage. We have years of experience and currently account for around 40 percent of the total PERC output from China. This scale helps us keep costs low as we manage the entire supply chain from polysilicon raw material to ingot growing, wafer slicing, and final wafer production.

This level of vertical integration ensures cost stability and supply consistency, which is a major benefit for Indian clients concerned about the future availability of PERC products.

When it comes to TOPCon, which is the mainstream technology going forward, we follow the same integrated production model that we have successfully implemented over the past decade. This approach continues to strengthen our position and ensures long-term reliability for our partners.