How efficiency mandates can build India's clean tech sovereignty and reduce import dependence

India's clean energy transition has long relied on importing foreign technology, creating supply chain vulnerabilities and stifling domestic innovation. A commentary on Mongabay India argues that the country can break this cycle by using progressive efficiency standards in government procurement. By mandating increasingly strict energy efficiency requirements for solar panels and other clean tech, India can force manufacturers to invest in domestic research and development rather than repeatedly importing older-generation equipment. The article points to India's success with air conditioning efficiency standards as a model. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency's grading system pushed global brands to set up local manufacturing. Applying the same logic to solar cells and other clean energy components could help India build a self-reliant low-carbon economy. The author proposes a timeline for solar cell efficiency mandates that would push the industry toward advanced technologies like perovskite-silicon tandems by 2035.