Reliance Commissions First Solar Panel Line, Targets 10 GW Capacity

New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI) Reliance Industries Ltd has commissioned its first line for manufacturing of solar panels and is on track to build battery storage production facilities, the firm said in an investor presentation.

Reliance - India's largest conglomerate whose interest spans from oil and petrochemicals to telecom and retail - had in 2021 unveiled a USD 10-billion plan spanning renewables, storage and hydrogen as it chased net zero emissions status by 2035.

"First line of solar PV modules (has been) commissioned," Reliance said in an investor presentation post announcing FY25 earnings on Friday.

The firm helmed by billionaire Mukesh Ambani joins the likes of Adani Group, Tatas, Waaree Energie and Vikram Solar that make solar PV modules.

The government has mandated that from June 2026, all clean energy projects must use solar PVz modules made from locally-produced cells with a view to cut reliance on Chinese imports and boost domestic manufacturing capabilities.

Domestic solar panel manufacturing will help India in achieving its broader goal of 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

Reliance is building 'giga factories' on a 5,000-acre site at Jamnagar in Gujarat producing photovoltaic (PV) modules, batteries, hydrogen electrolyser and fuel cells. PV modules, commonly known as solar panels, are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity using the photovoltaic effect.

The 10 gigawatt per annum capacity "is designed in such a way that we can quickly jump it up to 20 GW," V Srikanth Venkatachari, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Reliance, said at the investor call.

Reliance, he said, is also focused on 30 GWh of battery manufacturing.

The "20 GWh initial capacity (is) expandable in modular fashion", the presentation said.

On renewable energy generation, it said the company is looking at land and transmission to generate 150 billion units of electricity.

Also, it is building a fully integrated green hydrogen to green chemicals complex at Kandla in Gujarat. It will host multi GW electrolyser manufacturing.

Reliance is also building 55 integrated compressed biogas (CBG) plants by 2025, the presentation said. The company currently has 10 operational plants.

All these will help Reliance "become one of the world's leading 'Energy and Materials company'," it added.

"We have commissioned the first gigawatt scale solar module" manufacturing panels that can generate 720 watt at peak, Srikanth said. "It is possibly the largest panel that we have. So that is already commissioned."

On the entire solar chain, the engineering is complete, the long lead items and procurements are complete and construction is going on in full swing, he said.

He said land in Kutch region of Gujarat would be used for generating electricity from sunlight. "Work has already started."

In Kandla, Reliance has 2,000 acres of land where a green hydrogen ecosystem can come. To aid green hydrogen production, Reliance has stitched joint ventures that will made electrolysers (which are used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity).

The company's Reliance New Energy subsidiary is building a USD 7.2-billion green energy manufacturing complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The site will eventually include solar PV, battery cell and storage systems, electrolysers, raw and auxiliary materials, power electronics and semiconductor production facilities, and an R&D centre.

Reliance New Energy Solar acquired REC Group in 2021 and is leveraging the Singapore-headquartered solar manufacturer and materials company's tech for its integrated solar production facilities.