“Domestic Demand, Policy Support, and Growing Capacity Power India’s Solar Ambitions.”
India’s Solar Industry Rises Amid U.S. Tariffs, Aims to Rival China.
India is rapidly expanding its solar manufacturing industry to compete with China, buoyed by strong domestic demand, government incentives, and ambitious clean energy targets. Despite U.S. tariffs of 50% on Indian solar exports, analysts believe India’s growing home market will cushion the impact. With nearly 170 GW of renewable projects in the pipeline and a national target of 500 GW by 2030, the sector is on a steep growth trajectory. Companies like ReNew, which operates a 4 GW module facility in Jaipur, and Vega Solar, which shifted from exports to domestic sales post-pandemic, highlight the sector’s resilience. India’s solar module capacity doubled to 74 GW and cell capacity tripled to 25 GW in FY25. While China still dominates raw material supplies, imports from China fell sharply in early 2025. Experts predict that by 2030, India may only need to import polysilicon, making it a formidable global player in solar manufacturing.