Tata Power Solar, which makes solar cells and modules, today announced it has achieved the milestone of shipping out of its factories 1 GW worth of modules. The company, a subsidiary of Tata Power, has achieved this feat after 27 years of its coming into existence.

Foreign solar module suppliers, Trina of China and First Solar of the US, have sold more in the last 4-5 years since India began rolling out solar power plants under the National Solar Mission and the various state-government schemes. Both Trina and First Solar achieved this milestone a year back.

A press release from Tata Power Solar notes that the company’s “world-class manufacturing unit in Bengaluru” has production capacity of 300 MW modules and 180 MW of cells (cells are strung together to make modules). The company has completed over 250 MW of ground-mounted large scale solar plants and 112 MW of rooftop plants.

Tata Power Solar began its journey in collaboration with British Petroleum, and bought out BP when it exited the solar business globally in 2012.

Indian manufacturers of solar cells and modules have been unable to meet the steep fall in prices caused by production oversupply in China. Solar modules sold for $1.8 a watt in 2009-10; now you could buy it for $0.35 cents and there is promise of a further fall in prices.

In order to protect the few Indian manufacturers of modules and (or) cells, the Centre has a scheme that reserves a slice of the Government-auctioned capacity for locally made cells and modules — a scheme that has been successfully challenged by the US at the WTO.

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