US solar panels buck ‘Make in India’ drive
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative is fine. Yet, for American solar panel manufacturers ‘business is business’ and they are determined to push across India their qualitatively superior products relating to solar power generation. America is investing $ 4 billion in the solar energy sector to generate 100 GW of electricity, with the bulk of it coming in the form of solar panels.
“Political will is very strong for the Modi government which is encouraging Indian solar power industry. Compared to Indian solar power equipment, American solar panels are not only more efficient, but also cheap,” said Disha Banerjee, spokesperson of the Solar Power Developer’s Association.
India is the third largest country emitting carbon dioxide for electricity generation; so, promoting solar energy would not only help India bring down its carbon footprint, but also give people opportunity to buy solar panels for domestic use. Indian panels, being costly and less effective, are the main concern of Indian manufacturers.
