Last Saturday, I had the privilege to attend the Industry Day on “Empowering India’s Solar Future” organized by IIT Bombay’s Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre (IRCC). This event brought together leaders from some of India’s foremost solar companies alongside distinguished academicians, providing a dynamic forum to showcase IIT Bombay’s research capabilities and initiate potential collaborations with industry.
Generative AI: Consulting firms are increasingly focusing on Generative AI, both for client solutions and internal operations. PwC has partnered with Meta in India to build Generative AI solutions using Llama.
Industry leaders at the event noted that a typical solar cell facility requires up to two years of post-commissioning just to reach acceptable and stable product quality. Such lengthy fine-tuning periods delay investment returns and, in a rapidly evolving technology landscape, can undermine project viability before commercial operations truly begin.
To compete successfully under “Develop in India” and “Make in India” initiatives, Indian industry must adopt a broader value chain approach—not just as manufacturers, but as technology innovators. This means nurturing homegrown capabilities across R&D, advanced manufacturing, and skilled human capital.
A particularly revealing insight: While Indian research organizations and start-ups are nearing commercialization of perovskite solar cell technology, a critical talent gap persists in the underlying printing technologies necessary for mass production. Currently, we remain dependent on international equipment suppliers, especially from China, to bridge this gap.
The IRCC event was a timely reminder of the transformative power of robust industry-academia partnerships. For India to realize its vision of sustainable, inclusive development, technology must be at the center—and our premier institutes like IITs are ideally positioned to lead this journey.
Key takeaway: Achieving global leadership in solar manufacturing will require coordinated action across the value chain, deeper collaboration between industry and academia, and targeted investment in both advanced technology and talent.
