The Hindu Business Line : Sharp starts solar biz; open to production in India

New Delhi, Sept. 11 Sharp Business Systems on Tuesday announced the launch of its solar business in India. The Japanese firm, a leader in solar technology, aims to capture over 20 per cent of the Rs 600-crore domestic market by 2010.

Market share

“We hope to achieve Rs 100 crore turnover in the next three years from our solar business in India but the company’s internal targets are much higher,” Sharp Business Systems India Managing Director, Mr Sunil Sinha, told newspersons here.

He said solar energy business in India, estimated around Rs 400-500 crore, was expected to touch Rs 600 crore in the next three years, and the company was eyeing 20 per cent share of this market.

Manufacturing plans

The company did not rule out the possibility of manufacturing solar cells in India, if there was huge demand and policy initiative from the Government.

“Manufacturing in India could be considered depending on demand in the country and policy announcements from the governments for Grid connect power plants,” Mr Sinha said.

Sharp Business Systems India is one of the three subsidiaries of Sharp in India, which sells multimedia projectors, facsimiles, electronic registers, LCD displays and electronic calculators in the country.

Product range

In the solar energy harnessing products, Sharp offers a range including Mono and Multi Crystalline Modules and focuses on new technologies such as thin film silicon solar cells.

“Sharp has capability to provide complete solutions across all sectors including small lighting systems for rural application, power pack for railway and telecom application and large capacity plants for corporates, lighthouses and satellites,” Mr Sinha said.

Last year, Sharp’s global turnover from its solar business stood at $1.3 billion.

It has recently set up a facility in Japan to manufacture solar cell capable of harnessing 710 MW per year.

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