How Solar Energy Can Fulfill the Energy Demand of Indian Pharmaceuticals Industry


Indian Pharma Industry

India is the world’s top supplier of generic pharmaceuticals. The Indian pharmaceuticals industry supplies more than half of the global demand for vaccines, 40% of generic demand in the United States, and 25% of all pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom. India is the world’s third-largest producer of pharmaceuticals by volume and the fourteenth-largest producer by value. A network of 3,000 medicinal businesses and 10,500 manufacturing units make up the domestic pharmaceuticals industry.

In the global medicines industry, India holds a significant place. In addition, the country boasts a big pool of scientists and engineers who have the potential to propel the industry forward to new heights. Indian pharmaceuticals companies currently supply over 80% of the antiretroviral medications needed to combat AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) around the world.

Companies like Anupam Rasayan India and APM Energy, Cipla Limited have already setup their own solar power plant. (Read here)

Market Size

The home market is predicted to rise thrice during the next decade, according to the Indian Economic Survey 2021. India’s domestic pharmaceutical market is expected to reach US$ 42 billion in 2021, US$ 65 billion by 2024, and US$ 120-130 billion by 2030, according to estimates.

Biopharmaceuticals industry, bio services, bio-agriculture, bioindustry, and bioinformatics are all part of the Indian biotechnology industry. In 2019, the Indian biotechnology business was valued at US$ 64 billion, with projections of US$ 150 billion by 2025.

In the fiscal year 2020, India’s medical device industry was worth $10.36 billion. Between 2020 and 2025, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 37%, reaching US$ 50 billion.

In FY20, India’s medical device market was worth US$ 10.36 billion. From 2020 to 2025, the market is estimated to grow at a 37 percent CAGR to reach US$ 50 billion.

Indian Pharma Industry

Exports Segment:

In FY21, India’s medicine and pharmaceutical exports totaled US$ 24.44 billion. India is the world’s 12th largest exporter of medical goods. The pharmaceutical industry accounts for 6.6 percent of the country’s overall merchandise exports. As of May 2021, India had shipped 586.4 lakh COVID-19 vaccines to 71 countries, including grants (81.3 lakh), commercial exports (339.7 lakh), and COVAX platform exports (165.5 lakh). Indian pharmaceuticals are exported to over 200 nations around the world, with the United States being the most important market. In terms of volume, generic medications account for 20% of global exports, making the country the world’s largest provider of generic medicines. Between April and May 2021, India’s medication and pharmaceutical exports totaled $3.76 billion.

Why solar?

All of the processes in the pharmaceuticals industry use a lot of energy. As a result, the manufacturing process necessitates an unbroken and large energy flow in the manufacturing units. Both can be provided by solar energy. It can be used for mixing, granulation, milling, coating, tablet pressing, filling, and water heating, among other things. At the same time, it is a power source that is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly over time. Installing solar panels has also resulted in lower electricity expenses, which has helped the balance sheet.

It also aids in the development of a more environmentally conscious organization. For example, Lincoln Pharmaceuticals has installed a new 1 MW solar plant on the factory roof in Khatraj, Gujarat, with a capacity of 15 lakh power units per year, as well as two windmills.

Manu Karan, Vice President of CleanMax, a solar energy solutions provider, explains the benefits of solar power in greater detail, stating that the company provides 34.5 million units of solar electricity annually to leading pharma companies across India through open access to solar farms and rooftop solar projects. This has resulted in the reduction of approximately 33,120 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is similar to planting 4,96,816 trees or removing 6,379 automobiles from the road.
Open access, which is becoming increasingly popular in a variety of industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, is available to large users with a connected load higher than 1 MW.

Energy Consumption of Pharma Industry

To understand the energy consumption of the pharmaceuticals industry you must have better data collection to analyze. This is the first step in understanding the current energy usage of the industry deeply. The industry’s capacity to adopt strategic energy management strategies was hampered by a lack of real-time data on energy usage. Something has to be done about this. Simply by measuring the efficiency of their energy-drawing equipment, forward-thinking pharmaceuticals businesses are changing their attention from how much to create to how to produce.

The type of pharmaceutical facility (for example, research and development versus bulk production), the goods produced, the plant’s location, and the efficiency of the plant’s principal systems are all important elements that influence energy usage. Nonetheless, the following is a general breakdown of energy usage in the pharmaceuticals industry:

Overall Plug loads and Processes Lighting Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)
Total 100% 25% 10% 65%
R&D 30% Microscopes Centrifuges Electric Mixers Analysis equipment sterilization processes incubators walk in reach in areas refrigeration Task and overhead lighting Ventilation for clean rooms and fume hoods Areas requiring 100% make up air chilled water hot water and steam
offices 10% Office equipment including computers fax machines photocopier printers water heating (9%) Task overhead and outdoor lighting space heating (25%) cooling (9%) Ventilation (5%)
Bulk Manufacturing 35% Centrifuges Sterilization processes incubators dryers separation processes Task and overhead lighting Ventilation for clean room and fume hoods areas requiring 100% make up air chilled water hot water and steam
Formulation Packaging & Filling 15% Mixers Motors Mostly overhead some task Particle control ventilation
Warehouses 5% Forklifts Water Heating (5%) Mostly overhead lighting Space heating (41%) Refrigeration (4%)
Miscellaneous 5% Overhead

Conclusion:

So from the above discussion, it has been shown that after Implementing the Solar PV system in the case industry, highly encouraging results were obtained. The dependency on the Conventional source can be very much reduced by implementing the
above method.
As the tariff for electricity is increasing year by year, so the switching on the other, as well as cheap and efficient sources of electricity has been increasing day by day.

How Can We Help?

Hope this information about “Solar Energy For Pharma Industry” helps you to design your solar plant for the pharma industry as per your requirement.

If you are planning to start a solar business or install a solar solution, you can connect with Ornate Solar to get the best assistance with the best prices for solar panels and inverters. We are the official partner of Canadian Solar panels & Renewsys solar panels in India. We are also the official distributor of SolarEdge inverters with DC optimizers, Enphase microinverters, Fronius On-Grid Inverters, and Havells solar inverters in India.

For more information, please give us a call at 011 4353 6666.

kamini ornate

About The Author

Kamini Gupta is the Content Developer at Ornate Solar. She is a solar enthusiast and has worked with several well-known solar brands and experts in India. She is also a poet and a storyteller and has performed in many open mics events.

kamini ornate

About The Author

Kamini Gupta is the Content Developer at Ornate Solar. She is a solar enthusiast and has worked with several well-known solar brands and experts in India. She is also a poet and a storyteller and has performed in many open mics events.