JAIPUR, India: On the edge of Jaipur, a sprawling industrial hub has emerged as the focal point of India’s ambitious drive to rival China in solar technology. As the world’s most populous nation, India is rapidly expanding its capacity to manufacture solar components to secure global market share while meeting its fast-growing domestic demand for electricity.

One of the highlights of this effort is ReNew’s solar factory inside a government-backed industrial zone. This zone offers tax breaks and other benefits to companies investing in clean energy. ReNew’s facility, only two years old, produces enough solar modules each year to generate 4 gigawatts of power, which can light up nearly 2.5 million Indian homes.

The factory employs close to 1,000 people and is a strong sign of how quickly India’s solar industry is growing. In fact, the country’s capacity to produce key solar components more than doubled in the year ending March.

For many workers, this growth has changed lives. Monisha, an engineer at ReNew, said she was thrilled to contribute directly to the clean energy shift. Her job has made her financially independent and allowed her to support her family.

Still, the challenges ahead are huge. China remains the dominant force, making more than 80 percent of the world’s solar components and supplying many of the raw materials that India’s factories still rely on. Indian manufacturers are facing difficulties in the U.S., their biggest foreign market. Recently, American tariffs of 50 percent were placed on Indian solar goods, adding pressure to companies that had once sold about a third of their panels there.

Yet India’s appetite for solar power is helping soften the blow. Because domestic demand is so strong, Indian companies are less dependent on exports than those in some other countries. Energy experts say that even if U.S. sales fall, India’s ambitious clean energy goals will ensure plenty of local buyers.

The shift is already visible. Vega Solar, a company based in Hyderabad, used to sell 90 percent of its products abroad before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, most of its business comes from Indian customers who use off-grid solar modules for RVs, electric fences, and other purposes.

India’s push toward solar is not just about economics; it is also about the environment. As one of the world’s largest polluters, the country is working hard to reduce its dependence on coal. Solar power is now half the cost of new coal plants, and India’s abundant sunshine has fueled rapid expansion. In the past decade, installed solar capacity in the country has grown 30 times.

Looking ahead, India has nearly 170 gigawatts of renewable energy projects under construction, most of them solar. By 2030, the government hopes to reach 500 gigawatts of clean energy. Supportive policies, tax incentives, and rules requiring companies to buy government-approved materials are encouraging local production.

India still imports a large amount of solar equipment from China, but the reliance is slowly decreasing. Government data shows imports from China dropped by more than one-third in early 2025 compared with the year before. While challenges remain, India’s solar sector is clearly gaining momentum — and for many, like Monisha, it represents not just power for the country, but empowerment for its people.