Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said India is confident of developing its own solar technology amid China’s proposed export curbs. He noted that Indian scientists and engineers have always developed alternatives when foreign access was limited. Investors are now backing domestic research as renewable energy deployment scales up across the country.
Domestic research and investor backing will shield India from proposed Chinese solar export restrictions, as renewable energy deployment scales up rapidly. Find out how the upcoming green energy support schemes will transform agricultural solar adoption.
India is confident of developing its own technology to overcome any potential shortages arising from China's proposed export controls on 12 technologies used in solar equipment, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi told CNBC-TV18.
Responding to a question on the potential impact of China's export curbs, Joshi said India would find solutions through domestic research and innovation, drawing on its experience of developing technologies when access to foreign technology was limited.
"Every country will have their own policy. I'm not going to criticise or talk anything on that, whichever may be the country," Joshi said.
He added that whenever technologies were not transferred to India, the country's scientists, engineers and technocrats had developed alternatives.
"Whenever something positive has happened in India, it has given good results for the entire world," he said.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18's Abhimanyu Sharma on the sidelines of the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Joshi said the technologies showcased at the event demonstrated how rapidly solar power and other renewable energy sources were evolving.
He expressed confidence that ongoing domestic research would help address existing technological challenges, adding that investors were increasingly willing to fund research and development (R&D) and innovation given the potential returns from green energy.
China proposes export controls on solar technologies
China's Ministry of Commerce recently proposed adding photovoltaic technologies to its export-control list, citing national security concerns and the use of solar technologies in sensitive sectors such as aerospace and national defence.
The ministry said the proposed controls were intended to guard against the risks of technologies being used beyond control or improperly disseminated, while protecting normal international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology.
The proposed restrictions could have implications for India's solar manufacturing ambitions, given the importance of Chinese technology and equipment in the global solar supply chain.
India expands support for energy storage
Joshi said renewable energy had reached a level where its contribution to India's installed power capacity was now more than 55%, bringing it close to conventional sources.
He welcomed the Cabinet's announcement on government support for energy storage, saying viability gap funding (VGF) for pumped storage and battery storage projects together now stood at 80 GW.
The Green Energy Corridor-III (GEC-III) programme also provides for ₹6,000 crore in support for battery storage, he said.
Joshi added that the government was expected to announce PM-KUSUM 2.0, a scheme aimed at promoting solar energy in the agricultural sector, "very shortly".