DR. KHUSHBU PATEL

Q.How does your company stand out in the solar industry, particularly in the production of EVA encapsulants, and what is your unique value proposition in this sector?

We believe that continuous innovation and improvements in the products are the key to stand out in the encapsulant market. Currently the market is dynamic in terms of different technologies and selection of BOM materials. We showed superior adaptability to the market needs and launched relevant encapsulants before the demand actually came. Nonetheless, we are standing at a reasonable capacity of 4.2 GW, which is available for the open market.

Q.Could you highlight the company’s key technical strengths, specifically in the areas of forward integration and reverse engineering of solar products?

We are having our own R&D lab, which is now NABL accredited. We strongly believe that innovation is the only way forward, and hence we have a dedicated team of experts in India and collaborations overseas which work closely to propose any new product to the customers. Before suggesting any product commercially to any customer, we ensure that the reliability and quality are dually verified at renowned labs for third-party validation.

Q.Can you explain the key differences between Alishan EPE and Alishan EPE-NT encapsulants and how each is designed to meet the specific needs of the solar industry?

As we are seeing the shift of technology from PERC to TOPCon, these encapsulants are specially designed for TOPCon cells. TOPCon cells are more sensitive to moisture degradation and corrosion. Both these encapsulants ensure <5% degradation after 288 PID cycles and 3000 DH hours. However, Alishan EPE-NT is specially designed to minimise the moisture impact and provide better stability to the modules under extreme humid conditions.

Q. How does the company currently position itself within the solar module manufacturing industry, both in domestic and international markets?

Currently we are the largest independent manufacturer of encapsulants and backsheets in the market with the operational capacities of 4.2 GW and 3 GW, respectively. We are expanding to 6.6 GW by this year end and are eyeing to cater to the demands of the domestic market by 10%. Currently we are focusing more on the domestic market and expansion with the addition of a couple of more products; exports are our least priority for now.

Q.What are some of the few challenges the company faces in the global solar energy market, and what strategies are in place to overcome them?

 Currently we think instability in policies at a global level, priority to climate change and choice of sustainable solutions are the key factors which can affect the solar sector. However, we think that our focused approach to cater to domestic demand is aligned with India’s ambitious solar power target

Q. How is the company positioning itself to adapt to the evolving demands of the solar energy market and maintain a competitive edge in the face of emerging industry trends?

As we discussed, demands are growing on both aspects: capacity and innovation. For technical supremacy, we are working closely with our Tier 1 customers to validate our claims on the product features, and our capacity expansion plans will give us an edge over the other manufacturers. Our flagship products EPE and EVA are already trusted by most of the module makers, and we are confident that by regular improvements on the products and processes, we will transparently cater to the demands of the market.

Q. How does the company envision its long-term goals in terms of expanding market presence and advancing sustainability within the solar energy sector?

We have planned expansions up to 10 GW by the year 2026, and we are also planning to add one more ancillary in our portfolio. We are taking required measures and certification programmes to make our manufacturing processes more sustainable and enviornmental friendly. We have already been vocal about the usage of non-fluoro backsheets, and our proprietary products are all non-fluorine-based, which have now globally emerged as greener options.