China’s solar grip tightens — Cell imports more than double; module imports barely dip despite curbs

India’s imports of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells from China — for assembly into modules or panels — jumped 141 per cent, from around 1.89 billion units in 2023-24 (FY24) to 4.55 billion in FY25, official trade data shows.

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Imports of PV cells assembled into modules dipped only 2 per cent, from 35.98 million to 35.26 million panels, despite the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) order restricting the use of imported modules in most utility-scale and rooftop solar projects from April 1, 2024.

India's solar module manufacturing capacity has surged from 38 gigawatt (GW) in March 2024 to 91 GW now, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) “The increase in domestic solar PV module manufacturing capacity seems to have contributed to increase in import of solar PV cells,” the ministry said. While India’s solar cell manufacturing capacity has also grown — from 9 GW in March 2024 to 25 GW now — it still falls short of meeting the total demand for modules.‘Continued module imports due to ALMM exemptions’