Reliance Industries will begin solar power generation in the first half of the next financial year from its mega renewable energy project in Kutch Gujarat which spans an area nearly three times the size of Singapore. The initiative is part of the oil-to-telecom conglomerate’s broader clean energy strategy aimed at achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. In an investor presentation following its second-quarter results Reliance said development work across the 550000-acre Kutch site is progressing well with engineering and feasibility studies completed and the land currently in various stages of development. Expected to start commissioning solar generation during the first half of the next year for captive requirements plus green fuels production it said. Mukesh Ambani’s USD 10 Billion Investment In New Energy Business Four years ago Reliance Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani announced a USD 10 billion investment in a new energy business. That was seen as a notable change of tide given the conglomerates mega-scale petroleum refining operation that Ambani spearheaded back in the 1990s. In Kutch it is developing one of the worlds largest single-site solar projects spanning 550000 acres of arid land - three times the size of Singapore. The firm is on track to set up 20GWp of solar PV manufacturing capacity and 100GWh of battery giga-factory. Reliance has also pledged to produce 3 million tonnes per annum of green hydrogen by 2032 while manufacturing equipment like electrolysers battery storage and solar panels in-house. In the investor presentation the company said it continues to gradually expand its solar photovoltaic giga-factory. Already commissioned 4 PV module lines and the first cell line is expected to be commissioned soon Reliance said adding that it is on track to achieve its targeted capacity and further expand in a modular fashion. How Is PV Solar Made? The PV solar manufacturing chain includes production of polysilicon - high-purity silicon produced from metallurgical grade silicon (sand). This is followed by ingot and wafer creation - polysilicon being melted and cooled to form ingots (either monocrystalline cylinders or multicrystalline blocks). These ingots are then sliced into thin wafers which form the base of the solar cell. Then comes the cell manufacturing - silicon wafers are processed through various steps including doping cleaning and coating. Laser scribing is used to pattern the cells and copper ribbons are applied for electrical connections. Multiple cells are connected together and laminated between sheets of glass and encapsulant to create a waterproof module or panel. These modules are then assembled into arrays with racking systems which are support structures for mounting them on areas receiving sunlight. With sunlight being available only during daytime Reliance is also setting up gigafactories for the battery value chain to provide round-the-clock power. The work on Battery Energy Storage giga-factory is progressing at a rapid pace the firm said adding it has achieved significant construction and engineering progress on-site for 40 GWh manufacturing capacity and production line equipment is on track for installation on the foundation. The Adani Group is also involved in solar power through its subsidiaries like Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) which develops and operates large-scale solar power plants and Adani Solar which manufactures solar photovoltaic (PV) cells modules and other components. Mukesh Ambani’s huge investment can create a challenge for Gautam Adani’s existing stake. (With Inputs From PTI)