Now Locally made Solar Cells Will Power the Indian Satellite in Space

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has decided to use locally made solar cells to power the Indian satellite in space. Till date, the organization bought solar cells from the US to be used in the Indian satellite. This cost the organization crores of money. About INR 15 crores of money was needed to import 10,000 solar cells from the US. It also added a lot of dependencies on the US and according to the ISRO chief, they also face import restrictions on the same.

India surely has the manufacturing capacity which has been lying idle given scores of cheap imports from the neighboring Asian countries. The Make in India initiative was started to boost the local manufacturing industry in India. In order to give a further boost to this program, ISRO has decided to use domestically manufactured solar cells to power the Indian satellite in space. Few competitive names in solar cell manufacturing are Tata Solar, Adani Solar, Jupiter Solar, Websol and Indo Solar in India.

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It will be a good way to boost the confidence of the Indian solar cell manufacturers to produce for the prestigious Indian space program. It will not only reduce the total cost but also the overall reliance on foreign imports. Nearly 20,000 imported solar cells were used for developing the country’s GSAT-11 satellite. On one hand, if due to any reason, there is a disruption in cell imports, the whole critical program could stand jeopardized. On the other, if these cells are not efficiently produced, they might turn into space debris. Hence, a lot of deliberation and thinking was required to come to the decision. Since the solar cells used in space programs require differentiated technology, Bharat Electronics Ltd has been given the contract to mass produce these solar cells in India.

I think it is a great step taken by this reputed Indian organization. If more and more such organizations vow to use domestically produced solar cells and panels, it will not only boost the Indian manufacturing industry but will also strengthen their technology efficiencies and knowhow and make them competitive on the global platform.