- AI is automating routine tasks in India's solar panel manufacturing sector
- Fewer manual inspection jobs, but more roles needing AI and tech skills arise
- Salaries in green jobs expected to rise 12-30% by 2026 due to skill demand
Artificial intelligence is leading to mass layoffs across industries, and is taking over several routine tasks on the factory floor. However, in the clean energy sector, technology is creating demand for workers with a different set of skills.
In solar manufacturing, automated vision systems can inspect products for defects. Predictive quality-control tools can spot problems before they become bigger issues. Some production lines can even adjust themselves based on what the system detects.
This means fewer workers may be needed for repetitive manual checks. But factories now need people who can operate, calibrate and improve these AI-driven systems. And those skills are coming at a premium.
Industry estimates suggest salaries in the green sector could rise 12-15 per cent for entry-level roles, 18-22 per cent at the mid-level and 25-30 per cent for senior professionals in 2026.
The reason is simple: there are not enough people who understand both manufacturing and newer technologies such as AI, automation and advanced process controls.
Solar Jobs Getting More Specialised
Consider a solar production line. Earlier, several workers may have been needed to manually inspect products for defects. With AI-powered vision systems, much of that work can be automated.
But the technology still needs people. Workers are required to monitor defect-detection systems, calibrate machines, interpret the data and, in some cases, retrain the AI models when production conditions change.
So the job itself is changing. "We'd encourage the industry to look at AI adoption in solar manufacturing not through the lens of jobs lost, but through the value and skill level of the jobs being created," said Vijay Menon, COO, Navitas Solar.
Menon said the bigger challenge for the industry is not automation itself, but finding people who can work with increasingly intelligent manufacturing systems. "The real constraint for us isn't automation, it's building a workforce that can work alongside increasingly intelligent manufacturing systems," he said.
According to Menon, companies that invest early in training and specialised talent could improve both quality and productivity while creating higher-value careers in clean energy.
35 Million Green Jobs By 2047
The change comes as India prepares for a much larger clean energy expansion. India's clean energy transition is projected to generate more than 35 million green jobs by 2047. That works out to roughly 1.6 million jobs a year.
But many of these jobs may not resemble traditional manufacturing work. The factory of the future could have fewer people doing repetitive tasks. At the same time, it could need more technicians, engineers and operators who understand AI-powered machines.
For workers, that could mean a clear shift in what employers value. Knowing how to operate a machine may no longer be enough. Understanding the data coming from that machine, and knowing how to improve its performance, could become the more valuable skill.
India's solar industry is therefore offering an early glimpse of what AI-led job creation could look like. There may be fewer jobs built around repetitive work. But the jobs that replace them could demand more skills, and command higher pay.
