Mukesh Ambani, India’s second richest man, is about to make yet another ‘Jio’ like breakthrough, and
this time it will be the green energy industry. And, like he did with telecom, he is going to make it
affordable. Just as India now has the world’s most affordable wireless broadband, we will have the world’s most
affordable green energy within this decade, said Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries.
Essentially, Ambani wants to pull a Jio with green energy, which should worry India’s richest man,
Gautam Adani, because green energy is also one of his primary businesses. Setting the tone for a green future; with a fine-tuned reset the crude oil refining business of Reliance Industries is the oil-to-digital conglomerate’s bellwether, and Ambani has set out to revamp it for a green future.
Polysilicon is a critical raw material in the photovoltaic supply chain, or, to put it another way, solar
panels. Unlike Adani, Ambani has the benefit of Reliance Industries massive Jamnagar facility, from
which he can source up to 90 kilo-tonnes of polysilicon – a key raw material in the photovoltaic supply
chain.
According to estimates, approximately 5 tonnes of polysilicon are required to manufacture 1-megawatt
solar modules. The 20 GW target would necessitate approximately 1 lakh tonnes of polysilicon, of which
RIL already has 90% secured.
Reliance has already formed alliances with several global players, including Ambri in the United States,
Faradion in the United Kingdom, and Lithium Werks in the Netherlands, all of which specialise in energy
storage. In addition, Reliance is eyeing a piece of the green hydrogen pie, partnering with US-based Chart
Industries to commercialise hydrogen technology and establish a supply chain. It has also collaborated
with Stiesdal A/S of Denmark on next-generation electrolyzer technology to reduce the cost of
producing hydrogen from water.