India positioning itself to supply electro
India is positioning itself as a global electro-tech manufacturing hub to ensure energy sovereignty, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The report adds that as India demonstrates a fast track to a superior energy future, other emerging markets are closely watching.
India is forging a new path by industrialising on low-cost solar power and batteries rather than fossil fuels. It is effectively bypassing the fossil fuel-heavy trajectory followed by the West and China, the report states.
In 2012, China had negligible solar capacity, and its coal demand showed no signs of slowing.
In contrast, India in 2025 generates about 9 per cent of its electricity from solar energy, uses barely a quarter of the coal per capita compared to China, and is already approaching its coal generation peak.
India’s road oil demand, at 96 litres per capita, is about half of China’s at a similar stage of development and is unlikely to rise significantly further.
“Electric vehicles are nearing 5 per cent of car sales, as adoption accelerates along the S-curve. In the three-wheeler segment, India leads the world, with electric models accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the market,” the report says.
Moreover, electricity now accounts for nearly 20 per cent of final energy consumption—matching China at comparable income levels and rivalling advanced economies today.
“When China crossed 1,500 kWh of electricity consumption per capita, coal was ten times cheaper than solar. Today, as India reaches the same threshold, solar plus storage costs about half as much as new coal,” the report notes.
The policy push is also driving a manufacturing boom. India’s electronics industry has expanded nearly six-fold over the past decade to $130 billion, with electronics serving as the gateway to electro-tech.
Capabilities developed for smartphone manufacturing are now extending to solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles.
The report highlights that solar module production has grown twelve-fold to 120 GW—more than enough for self-sufficiency. Cell manufacturing, virtually non-existent a decade ago, has reached 18 GW, while battery and EV manufacturing are also rapidly catching up.
“India is positioning itself to supply electro-tech to the world,” it adds.
-IANS
