Air Products signs two supply deals for Indian solar factories

The India-based unit of Lehigh Valley, Penn.-based Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) said today it scored two supply deals for solar manufacturing facilities.

Mumbai-based INOX Air Products, a joint venture of Air Products and the Jain family, said it plans to supply bulk and specialty gases to HHV Solar Technologies at its new thin-film photovoltaic solar fab in Bangalore. HHV also tapped INOX to supply gas to the company's research, development and demonstration fab.

INOX also disclosed that it signed a deal to supply specialty gases to Jupiter Solar Power's solar PV cell manufacturing facilities under construction in Baddi, in Himachal Pradesh. Jupiter Solar, a subsidiary of Jupiter International, is building two PV facilities at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore ($300 million) in Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal.

INOX didn't disclose the value or length of the supply deals.

With 36 plants, INOX is one of the largest manufacturers of industrial gas in India. Last year, its parent Air Products signed 20 contracts in Asia for the crystalline and thin-film PV markets. Customers include Best Solar and Chint Solar in China, Green Energy Technology in Taiwan, and Gadir Solar in Spain.

India recently announced plans to grow its solar market through the National Solar Mission, which calls for the country to expand solar capacity from the current 3 MW to 20 GW by 2020 and 200 GW by 2050, at a cost of $20 billion (see India’s new climate plan aims to set 20 GW solar goal).

"India is an emerging PV market with strong support from the government," said Corning Painter, Air Products’ vice president and general manager, in a news release. "Our expertise … can help our customers continuously drive down their cost-per-watt through enhanced plant efficiency."