Solar equipment makers keen on export

Global demand grows and a home market turns competitive on the rates front

Solar energy equipment manufacturers in the country are increasingly looking at the export market, with the domestic ones having capacity constraints and a dependence on imports.

Most have steered clear of venturing into China, the world’s largest market in the segment. However, they are exploring elsewhere — Latin America, West Asia, Africa and Japan have all seen Indian manufacturers raising their presence.

Sterling And Wilson, for instance, is implementing the world’s largest single-location solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Abu Dhabi, of 1,177 Mw capacity, both construction and maintenance . A Shapoorji Pallonji subsidiary, it is now looking to expand in North America.