The first-ever unit in Southeast Asia to produce thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with indigenous technology is coming up in Howrah.

The Rs 60-crore project is being funded by four private agencies and the central government?s department of science and technology. Once commissioned, the unit will facilitate supply of alternative power to people with modest purchasing power in Bengal and other parts of the country.

Director of the central department A. Barua, who supervised the research that developed the thin-film technology, said the new panels would be much cheaper than the existing crystal-based solar panels.

Photovoltaic modules are of two types ?crystalline and amorphous. ?Presently, solar PV modules that you see in the market are all crystalline,? said a member of the research team.

The Centre has been advocating the use of alternative energy to cut down electricity bills. ?We were developing the thin-film technology at our laboratory in Jadavpur for several years. Now, we are setting up a plant for commercial production of thin-film panels,? said Barua.

He said agreements had been signed with four private companies in the city and Howrah to manufacture and market thin-film panels. ?A factory has been set up in Uluberia, Howrah, and production is expected to begin by the end of this year.?

Thin-film solar panels are now manufactured only in the US, France and Japan. The manufacturing process includes putting a coat of silicon-based paint on a special metal sheet.

?As the process needs minimum raw material, it will help manufacture low-cost photovoltaic panels in the country. The panels are the main component of solar-power generation. The cost of photovoltaic-based home lighting system will be cheaper as the raw material is cheap,? Barua pointed out.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam met the research team early this year and wished the project success. ?He assured us of every kind of help so that the venture would be a complete success,? Barua added.

Explaining the importance of the technology, officials said the existing variety of solar panels is made of some specialised silicon chips that are imported. ?But now, right from developing the raw material to making the panel, we won?t need any foreign help. We can even manufacture the machinery required to make these films,? an official explained.

S.P. Gan Chaudhuri, director of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, too, was enthusiastic about the project. ?Once production starts, it will definitely help bring down the price of solar panels,? he pointed out.