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India is working on a new scheme to support domestic polysilicon manufacturing as it targets at least 30 gigawatts of capacity addition by 2030, with a polysilicon plant along with metallurgical-grade silicon requiring an investment of around Rs 850 crore per gigawatt, Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on Friday.
Sarangi said that since the capacity expected to come up under the existing Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for polysilicon would be limited, the government would work on a separate support mechanism. The details of the proposed scheme, including the subsidy amount, are still being worked out, he said. "The first one was a PLI scheme where polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules were all part of it. So, a very small capacity is likely to come up as part of that. But since we require a much larger capacity, we are thinking and working on a scheme which will support manufacturing of polysilicon," Sarangi said. He said the high investment required for polysilicon manufacturing was one of the factors being considered while working out ways to support manufacturers. "So, keeping in view the fact that such a large investment is required, we are working out ways in which we could support manufacturers to come up with a manufacturing facility," he said. Sarangi said to ensure India's energy security and ensure that India's manufacturing resilience is maintained," a capacity of 30 gigawatts and above should be good for the Indian context. So, we would look at at least 30 gigawatts of capacity addition by 2030." On energy storage, Sarangi said India could achieve the Central Electricity Authority's estimated requirement of around 411 GWh of storage by 2031-32 ahead of schedule. While current storage levels are lower, around 156 GWh of battery energy storage systems are in process or implementation through tenders and placed orders, he said. He also said sodium-ion battery technology could see significant growth, with researchers having reached Technology Readiness Level 7 and above. Technologies at this stage could move from pilot projects to commercial production within two to three years, he said. On vanadium flow batteries, Sarangi said NTPC Green Energy has placed an order for 100 megawatts, while domestic manufacturers are working to supply the capacity. Higher demand and volumes could help bring down prices and make the technology a "game changer" in the future, he said. Sarangi also said battery recycling is being addressed under existing e-waste rules, while further details could be added if required. (ANI)
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