Ahmedabad, Mar 29: There has been an unprecedented increase in solar power capacity in the country -- from 2.82 GW in 2014 to 104 GW today -- showing a significant increase of 3,580 per cent in the last 10 years, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, said on Saturday.

By 2030, the production of solar modules will skyrocket and reach 150 GW and the capacity for solar cells will increase to 100 GW, with wafer production reaching 40 GW, said the Union Minister while inaugurating a state-of-the-art 5.4 GW solar cell gigafactory/manufacturing facility of Warree Energy at Chikhali in Gujarat.

“This magnificent facility embodies the spirit of India and stands in the form of India's growing expertise in the global renewable energy scenario. The plant will not only cater to local needs but also position India as a major exporter of advanced solar technologies,” said Joshi.

The minister said that the emphasis on module production has also increased and its capacity has increased from 2 GW in 2014 to 80 GW today.

“In 2014, the production of solar cells and wafers did not exist, but today, India has 25 GW of cells and 2 GW of Wafers produces. To give a further boost to this, the government has issued guidelines stating that all solar PV modules used in projects will have to get their solar cells from ALM list-II starting from June 1, 2026,” Joshi explained.

He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India co-founded the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to accelerate the global development of solar energy.

At present, more than 100 countries have committed to a greener future through the ISA.

The Union Minister pointed out that, according to the ‘Future of Jobs Report 2025’ released by the World Economic Forum, creating jobs globally in sectors such as green transition will lead to 170 million jobs by 2030.

“Contributing to this number will also be the significant number of jobs generated by this 5.4 GW solar cell manufacturing plant. The facility will create numerous opportunities for both local residents and professionals,” he said.

--IANS

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