On the first day of his three-day US visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed India's renewable energy landscape with Mark Widmar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of First Solar on Thursday.
During his interaction with Widmar, Modi spoke about the One World, One Sun and One Web initiative and its potential, sources said. The Prime Minister referred to India's ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable energy.
Widmar praised India's policies on climate change and related industries, saying all countries should mimic what India has done on climate change, sources said.
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He also highlighted India's focus on solar energy production, saying that solar energy companies can get the most out of PLI programs, they said.
The CEO also announced plans to leverage the Indian government's ambitious Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program to manufacture solar power systems with unique thin-film technology and integrate India into global supply chains, the ministry said.
Both Modi and Widmar agreed to improve solar panel manufacturing in India, the sources said, adding that the move will also benefit countries in the region.
“Powering India's Solar Potential! PM @narendramodi discussing India's renewable energy landscape with Mark Widmar, CEO @FirstSolar,” tweeted the State Department.
India currently has the fastest growing solar energy program in the world and has expanded access to clean cooking fuel to over 80 million households, making it one of the largest clean energy initiatives in the world.
The PLI program of Rs 4,500 billion for photovoltaic solar modules aims to help India ramp up its domestic manufacturing capacity. The project is expected to add 10 gigawatts (GW) of capacity for integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) production facilities. Prime Minister Modi invited global companies to take advantage of the PLI programs and expand their production in India in February.
(Edited by: Jomy Jos Pullokaran)
First published: 09/23/2021, 10:58 p.m. IST