Solar glass: Borosil Renewables

Strong demand for Indian solar glass

Borosil Renewables is India’s only current solar glass manufacturer. Mr Pradeep Kheruka* outlines the company’s recent acquisition, as well as the Indian solar glass industry.

Mr Pradeep Kheruka, � Executive Chairman of Borosil Renewables.

Borosil Renewables is revolutionising the Indian solar glass manufacturing industry. The company is India’s first and only solar glass manufacturer, also called low-iron textured solar glass. This is used primarily in solar PV modules but also finds application in the manufacture of flat plate collectors, which are used for heating, greenhouses, etc.

There is a strong demand for our solar glass not only in India but also in other geographies such as the EU, Turkey, Americas, MENA countries, etc. We have decided to add more manufacturing capacity to cater to this demand.

The company has undergone a significant capacity expansion in a short span of time during the last three years. Earlier this year, Borosil acquired Interfloat Group, one of the largest solar glass producing companies in Europe.

Interfloat acquisition

The Interfloat Group consists of GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg (GMB), located in Tschernitz, Germany, and Interfloat Corporation, based in Ruggell, Liechtenstein. GMB operates a solar glass plant with a production of 300 tpd. With its acquisition of the Interfloat Group, BRL’s solar glass output will grow from 450 tpd to 750 tpd.

There is already a plan in place to increase the capacity at the German plant from 300 to 500 tons per day in the next 18 months. With Borosil’s expertise in capacity additions at a lower capital expenditure (CapEx), we believe we shall be able to bring appreciable value to their expansion plans.

We believe that we shall be able to realise several synergies in production and sales once we get into the management of the German company. A very big class of beneficiaries will be the European customers who could then be supplied from two locations. Borosil’s expertise in achieving high efficiency in the manufacturing process which results in lower costs arising from higher throughput will bring higher economies to the Interfloat group.

Moreover, the rapidly increasing demand for different glasses, be they thinner glasses for glass/glass modules or larger size glasses for the new generation of large-size solar cells put a strain on a single production line. With several production lines, each capable of producing a different type of glass, we will be ready availability for each specialised requirement. (Pic 1)

Current projects

Borosil Renewables has three solar glass manufacturing projects in development. Our third furnace - SG-3 of 550 tpd – is expected to be commissioned by October 2022. Further, the domestic solar PV manufacturing sector in India has now received a significant boost on account of the imposition of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on solar cells and modules and Production Linked Incentives (PLI) besides non-fiscal measures like the introduction of Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM).

These measures are expected to boost domestic manufacturing of solar modules

� Pic 1. Borosil will implement several production lines with the acquisition, each capable of producing a different type of glass.

and all components including solar glass. Considering the market scenario, we have decided to merge the SG-5 project with the SG-4 project. This will lead to higher production and better effi ciencies, due to a larger furnace. SG-4, which will have a capacity of 1,100 tpd, is expected to be commissioned during the second quarter of the fi nancial year 2024-25.

Technology

The selection of technology is important in the solar glass industry as it determines various factors like effi ciency, fuel consumption, longer running life of the furnace, etc. These important factors eventually determine the competitiveness of the manufacturing and have an impact on product quality as well.

We have been using technology since the inception of our factory in 1994 when we successfully used the Pittsburgh process. We are now going for a 550 tpd furnace and the design for the same has been sourced from a popular supplier of large furnaces.

This furnace design uses a cross-fi red technology for charging the fuel for glass melting and is expected to be effi cient and user-friendly. Moreover, such furnaces are expected to have a longer running life before they become due for a rebuild. The other equipment used for glass manufacturing and processing is also from reputed global suppliers.

Demand

Some companies have announced their decision to start producing solar glass in India. A large portion of these proposed capacities will go towards meeting the captive requirement of solar glass for their integrated solar manufacturing facilities.

The balance demand for solar glass, if any, is expected to be met through imports. We expect the market share of domestically manufactured solar glass in India to grow substantially in future. At present, our Indian operations have a manufacturing capacity of 450 tpd which is enough to make 2.8 gigawatt (GW) of solar modules. (Pic 2)

� Pic 2. Currently, Borosil’s Indian operations have a manufacturing capacity of 450 tpd - enough to make 2.8 gigawatt (GW) of solar modules.

Imports

The anti-dumping duty on Chinese solar glass has been in place since 2017 and it is now proposed to be extended by two more years till August 2024. The impact of this duty had been to shift the import of solar glass from Malaysia, where a 100% Chinese-owned solar glass manufacturer is based. Meanwhile, another Chinese company has set up production in Vietnam, which has been actively exporting glass to India. These imports

enter India free from import duty. Thus, no change in pricing and cost structure of the independent power producers is foreseen.

As explained, we plan to reach the total capacity of 2,100 tpd by FY25 from our present capacity of 450 tpd. A major portion of this capacity will be serving the domestic market and cater to the module manufacturing capacity of about 10 GW in India.

If this proposal from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies to extend the anti-dumping duty is accepted by the Ministry of Finance for implementation, it will encourage the Indian solar glass manufacturers like us to move forward with capacity additions as planned and invite other players to add solar glass manufacturing capacities.

Today the market share of Borosil Renewables in the domestic solar glass market is about 35%. While we plan to add capacities and reach 2,100 tpd by 2024, we expect our market share to continue to be around the same number since the demand for solar is also expected to increase in a similar manner.

As stated above, there are some solar glass capacities likely to be added for captive consumption and hence the share of domestically manufactured solar glass is expected to increase in the future substantially and the share of imports could come down. �

*Executive Chairman, Borosil Renewables, Mumbai, India https://www.borosilrenewables.com/