RIL and Hualu to manufacture polysilicon for solar panels

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Hualu Engineering and Technology Company Limited of China plan to make the main component of solar panels polysilicon.

It was revealed after Mukesh Ambani spoke of the Rs 75,000 crore push into clean energy over three years in June. RIL also plans to invest Rs 60,000 crore in four of its giga-factories. Among the four, one will produce solar photovoltaic modules.

State-owned Hualu is controlled by China National Chemical Engineering Company Ltd and provides services in technology, research, development, and consultancy. As per the reports, RIL may buy the solar module manufacturer REC Group.

Reliance generated over half of its revenue from refining and chemicals, now stressing over clean energy with the plan of setting up Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex in Jamnagar across a 5,000 acres land, announced by Ambani in a general meeting.

Besides the solar photovoltaic module Giga factory, RIL plans to set up Giga factories for fuel cells, electrolyzers and energy storage. The company also plans to set up 100 GW solar energy by 2030.

Currently, the domestic manufacturing capacity of India is 3 GW for solar cells and 15 GW for solar modules. Solar companies of China like Trina Solar Limited, Jinko Solar, Chint Solar, ET Solar, and GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Limited are dominating the solar equipment market.

To check Chinese imports, India has imposed basic customs duty from 1st April 2022 on solar cells and solar modules imports from China.

Earlier, PM Narendra Modi announced that India aims to end its imports on all equipment, such as solar panels, among others, and began a self-reliance campaign. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also called for domestic production of solar modules and solar photovoltaic cells on Monday.

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