February 12 (Renewables Now) – The outbreak of the coronavirus in China is disrupting the imports of solar products into India and posing a threat to the commissioning timelines, the Economic Times reports.
The delayed imports of PV modules, panels, inverters and other equipment from China could even lead to a rise in prices if their production ceases for a long period of time, an unnamed solar developer has told the daily. Another developer, also anonymous, has commented that the largest impact is expected to be on developers buying on a spot basis, most of whom are rooftop solar firms.
So far there have been a 20-day delay in the procurement, alarms Sanjeev Aggarwal, the CEO of distributed solar and energy solutions provider Amplus Solar. According to Anand Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, meanwhile, the government could provide an extension to the commissioning schedules if developers can prove the shipment delays but no such cases have been reported so far.
About 90% of the solar modules and panels used in India come from China and Malaysia, the report says.
