Engineering goods

Export solar cells and modules

Solar modules made mostly in Gujarat; almost all exports went to the USA, which now has AD/CVD cases on Indian cells.

Free to exportHS 8541.42

HS code: 8541.42
Export policy: Free to export
Registrations: 3
India’s exports, 2025-26: US$ 1.07 bn

What is exported

India has built large solar cell and module factories, mostly in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, supported by the PLI scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules. In 2025-26 India exported about US$ 1.05 billion of modules (HS 8541.43), almost all to the USA; cell exports (8541.42) were small. In September 2026 the US Commerce Department made final anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations on solar cells from India, so new exporters should look at Africa, South Asia and the Gulf as well.

Varieties, grades and forms

Mono PERC modulesThe established mainstream technology.
TOPCon and heterojunction modulesHigher-efficiency n-type modules now replacing PERC.
Bifacial and glass-glass modulesFor utility-scale plants.
Solar cellsSold to module assemblers (8541.42).

Where it is grown or made

GujaratMundra, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara
Tamil NaduChennai and Tirunelveli
TelanganaHyderabad region
Uttar Pradesh and RajasthanNoida; Jaipur region

Export packing

Modules packed vertically on pallets in their own cartons with corner protectors, typically 30–36 modules per pallet.
Pallets strapped and braced so they cannot tip; marked "this side up" and "do not stack" as the maker specifies.
Flash-test data and serial-number list for every pallet.

Who buys abroad

Solar EPC contractors and developers
Distributors and installers
Government and donor-funded electrification projects

The quality buyers ask for

Power and efficiency: Rated power (Wp) with positive tolerance; module efficiency stated on the data sheet
Cell technology: Mono PERC, TOPCon or HJT; half-cut cells; bifacial where asked
Standards: IEC 61215 and IEC 61730; UL 61730 for North America
Degradation and warranty: First-year and annual degradation limits; product and performance warranty terms
Durability: PID resistance, salt-mist (IEC 61701) and ammonia (IEC 62716) tests for coastal and farm sites

Certificates

IEC 61215 / IEC 61730 certificateRequiredBasic type approval for modules; asked for by almost every buyer.
UL 61730 listingOften askedNeeded to sell modules in the USA and Canada.
CE marking (Low Voltage Directive)Often askedRequired for modules sold in the EU.
Supply-chain traceability documentsOften askedUS customs (UFLPA) and EU buyers ask for polysilicon-to-module tracing.

Shipping, storage and shelf life

Container load

A 40-ft high-cube container typically holds about 600–750 modules of current sizes, depending on module dimensions and pallet layout.

How it travels

Sea freight; road to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Storage

Store pallets flat and dry as the maker directs; never stack beyond the limit printed on the carton.

What goes on the pack and carton

Module label with maker, model, serial number, Pmax, Voc, Isc, Vmp, Imp, maximum system voltage and certification marks.
Pallet labels with serial-number ranges and handling marks.
Country of origin; for the USA, origin of cells stated clearly.

Where to get it tested

The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram, and BIS-recognised and NABL-accredited PV labs test modules to IEC 61215 and IEC 61730. Global certification bodies with Indian labs issue IEC and UL certificates.

Benefits of exporting this product

RoDTEP: 0.9% of FOB
Tariff item 8541 43 00 (photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or panels) earns 0.9% of FOB value, with no rupee cap, as a duty credit scrip on ICEGATE. Cells not in modules (8541 42 00) also carry 0.9%. These rates continue to 31 Dec 2026 (DGFT Notification 41/2026-27). Confirm your exact 8-digit line on the DGFT RoDTEP page before you price an order.
DGFT — Appendix 4R, RoDTEP schedule for DTA exports w.e.f. 10.10.2024 (Notification 32/2024-25); rates continued to 31.12.2026 by Notification 41/2026-27 ↗
Duty drawback: 1% of FOB
Drawback item 8541 (semiconductor devices including photovoltaic cells) has an All Industry Rate of 1% of FOB, paid into your bank account. It is not available on exports under Advance Authorisation or from EOU/SEZ units. Check the current schedule on the CBIC drawback page before shipping.
Gazette of India — Notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.) dated 20.10.2023: All Industry Rates of duty drawback ↗
PLI scheme for manufacturers
The PLI scheme for high-efficiency solar PV modules is one of the 14 Production Linked Incentive schemes listed by the Government (PIB, December 2024). The incentive goes only to approved manufacturers on their eligible sales, not to traders, but it is why new export-grade capacity is coming up — a useful source of supply for a merchant exporter. Check the scheme guidelines and current status on the ministry's site.
PIB — Scaling New Heights: How the PLI Scheme is Reshaping Industries (21 Dec 2024), list of the 14 PLI sectors ↗
US trade remedy — a risk, not a benefit
On 11 September 2026 the US Commerce Department issued final affirmative anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations on crystalline silicon PV cells from India; the US International Trade Commission was to make the final injury decision before orders are issued. Check the current cash-deposit rates on trade.gov before any US sale.
US International Trade Administration — Final determinations in the AD/CVD investigations on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from India, Indonesia and Laos (11 Sep 2026) ↗

Where to register

ESC or EEPC IndiaSolar cells and modules are not named in Appendix 2T. Electronic components fall under ESC; many module makers hold an EEPC RCMC. Ask the council which covers your line before you apply.escindia.in ↗

Quality and checks

Module type tests to IEC 61215 (performance) and IEC 61730 (safety); UL 61730 listing for the USA.
USA: AD/CVD orders on Indian cells and modules made with them, and UFLPA supply-chain tracing for polysilicon — expect detailed origin documents.
Flash-test report (power, Voc, Isc) for every module and EL (electroluminescence) images on request.

How to start small

A trader can source IEC-certified modules from an Indian maker and sell to solar installers and distributors in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, East Africa or the Gulf. Ship full containers on LC; offer the maker's warranty in writing.

Where new exporters go wrong

Shipping to the USA without checking the AD/CVD cash-deposit rates that apply to your cells.
Microcracks from poor stacking — keep pallets vertical and use corner protection.
Promising a 25-year warranty without a maker who will stand behind it.

Documents this product needs

Schemes that apply

Sources (6)

Trade data

Indian solar cells and modules exports in numbers

From the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, Indian financial years (April–March).

Exports in 2025-26: US$ 1.07 bn
Change from 2024-25: ↓ -7%
Buyer countries: 48
Average export price: US$ 20.09

Where Indian solar cells and modules goes — among our 80 countries, 2025-26

India’s solar cells and modules exports, year by year · US$ million · year not shown

The price cycle

India’s average export price per kg each year (total value ÷ total quantity). Highest in 2022-23, lowest in 2025-26 — a 575% swing between them. Keep this swing in mind when you quote.

Average export price of Indian solar cells and modules · US$ per kg · dotted = year in between not available

What next: a projection from the trend

The past trend carried forward — not a forecast by any authority. Sudden changes in policy, prices or demand are not in it.

India’s solar cells and modules exports and projection · hollow bars = projection, line = likely range

By 2027-28: US$ 1.08 bn

Likely range US$ 522 mn to US$ 2.25 bn.

Trend: -4.4% a year
Fit (R²): 0.03 — weak, read with care
Based on: 4 years of official figures

Method: a straight line through the logarithm of yearly exports (log-linear regression); range = ±1 standard error.

Biggest buyer countries

By value in 2025-26. Change is against 2024-25.

Name2025-26Change

1United States of AmericaUS$ 1.03 bn-8.1%

2BangladeshUS$ 18.5 mn-6.5%

3United Arab EmiratesUS$ 14.8 mn+3,897.3%

4ChinaUS$ 2 mn+150%

5KenyaUS$ 2 mn+488.2%

6ThailandUS$ 490k+4.3%

7IranUS$ 440k—

8TogoUS$ 330k+371.4%

9CanadaUS$ 320k-87.5%

10LibyaUS$ 300k—

11SpainUS$ 290k+123.1%

12MexicoUS$ 270k+125%

Where demand is rising and falling

Only countries that buy at least US$ 1 million or 1% of India’s exports of this product. Change from 2024-25 to 2025-26.

High demand

United Arab EmiratesUS$ 370k → US$ 14.8 mn+3,897.3%

Low demand

No sizeable country falls in this list this year.

Which forms sell, and at what price

India’s exports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity (TradeStat): the average of every shipment on that line, not the price of any one deal.

Tariff line	Value 2025-26	Change	Quantity	Average price
Photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made up into panels`8541 43 00` · Electrical apparatus, photosensitive semiconductor devices, photovoltaic cells assembled in modules or made…	US$ 1.05 bn	-6.2%	7.6 mn pieces	US$ 138.30 per piecewas US$ 149.33
Photovoltaic cells not assembled in modules or made up into panels`8541 42 00` · Electrical apparatus, photosensitive semiconductor devices, photovoltaic cells not assembled in modules or…	US$ 20.2 mn	-36.8%	45.7 mn pieces	US$ 0.44 per piecewas US$ 0.82

The world market

Each country’s own recorded exports and imports in UN Comtrade, 2023 (the latest year nearly every country has reported).

World imports: US$ 70.8 bn
India among exporters: #6
India’s share of world exports: 2.5%
Left for others to win: US$ 71.6 bn

Top exporters — your competitors

1ChinaUS$ 43.7 bn 59.5%
2Viet NamUS$ 8.17 bn 11.1%
3ThailandUS$ 4.27 bn 5.8%
4MalaysiaUS$ 4.16 bn 5.7%
5CambodiaUS$ 2.07 bn 2.8%
6IndiaUS$ 1.83 bn 2.5%
7NetherlandsUS$ 1.79 bn 2.4%
8GermanyUS$ 1.25 bn 1.7%
9Rep. of KoreaUS$ 1.16 bn 1.6%
10PortugalUS$ 628 mn 0.9%

Biggest buyers in the world

1USAUS$ 20 bn 28.2%
2IndiaUS$ 5.02 bn 7.1%
3GermanyUS$ 4.03 bn 5.7%
4BrazilUS$ 3.98 bn 5.6%
5NetherlandsUS$ 3.44 bn 4.9%
6SpainUS$ 2.87 bn 4.1%
7ItalyUS$ 2.24 bn 3.2%
8JapanUS$ 1.72 bn 2.4%
9FranceUS$ 1.61 bn 2.3%
10TürkiyeUS$ 1.55 bn 2.2%

Opportunity: what these countries buy from the world, and from India

Each country’s own recorded imports in UN Comtrade, latest year it has reported. The long light part of each bar is demand other countries are filling today.

TradeStat’s 2023-24 quantities are double-counted, so that year is left out of the price. Sources: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · UN Comtrade database (United Nations Statistics Division) · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

Step by step

How to export solar cells and modules

India has rapidly built solar cell and module capacity, helped by the PLI scheme and domestic demand, and has started exporting modules, mostly to the USA. China dominates the global solar supply chain at every stage; South-East Asian factories and new US plants are the other competitors. Demand comes from utility-scale solar, rooftop and off-grid systems in Africa and South Asia, and buyers seeking supply outside China. The US market now carries trade-remedy risk, so openings are wider in Africa, South Asia, the Gulf and Europe.

01Choose markets
Weigh US trade-remedy risk against Africa, South Asia and the Gulf.
02Select the maker
IEC certificates, bankable warranty and traceability records.
03Quote
Price per watt-peak, FOB or CIF, with validity of a few days.
04Inspect
Pre-shipment flash and EL testing on a sample of modules.
05Pack and ship
Vertical pallets, bracing, full container loads.
06Claim benefits
RoDTEP and drawback on the shipping bill.
07Payment
Confirmed LC for project buyers; advance for small distributors.

Meet buyers

Trade fairs

Questions

Questions about exporting solar cells and modules

Can I still sell solar modules to the USA?

Yes, but after the September 2026 final determinations, AD/CVD deposits may apply to Indian cells; check trade.gov before quoting.

What is ALMM?

India's Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for domestic projects; it does not control exports, but buyers see it as a quality signal.

Which RoDTEP rate applies?

Modules (8541 43 00) and cells (8541 42 00) carry 0.9% of FOB in Appendix 4R.

Which council?

Solar products are not named in Appendix 2T; ask ESC or EEPC which covers your line.

How do I protect against breakage claims?

Use the maker's pallet design, insure the cargo, and run EL tests before and after shipping for big orders.