2017 was a landmark year for global solar photovoltaics (PV) industry. In 2017, solar PV was the top source of new power capacity in several major markets, including China, India, Japan and the United States. Globally, at least 98 GW of solar PV capacity was installed (on- and off-grid), increasing total capacity by nearly one-third, for a cumulative total of approximately 402 GW.
The Ceylon Electricity Board is the country’s sole grid operator and distributor, whilst having 6.4 million electricity consumers and consumers are growing 6-7% annually. Considering the huge demand anticipated for solar energy in the future globally and domestically, there should be a coinciding development in the solar PV manufacturing industry to cater to the increasing demand. The availability of naturally occurring economically viable high purity quartz deposits in many parts of the country and duty free access to huge markets such as EU and India under trade agreements has made the Solar Component Manufacturing sector as one of the most promising sectors in attracting investments to Sri Lanka.