Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a government-owned electronics manufacturer and supplier, has invited bids for the supply of 609,550 multicrystalline silicon solar cells.

The last date to submit the bids is February 10, 2021. Bids will be opened on February 11.

The tender is for the supply of six-inch multicrystalline silicon solar cells of 157mm X 157mm (± 0.25mm) in dimension. The thickness of the solar cells should be a minimum of 180 microns, and the cell power should be at least 4.56 Wp.

BEL will inspect the solar cells at the vendor’s premises before giving clearance for solar cells’ supply. The vendor should supply a minimum of 500 solar cells (samples of ≥ 4.56Wp cells should meet the module output of ≥ 325 Wp) to BEL for approval before the bulk supply.

The solar cells are to be supplied in boxes and suitably packed to avoid damage in transit and should be kept in polythene and polypropylene sachets. Each sachet should not contain more than 100 cells, and one box should contain solar cells in the power band of 0.05 W.

Recently, BEL invited bids for the supply of polycrystalline solar modules for 2.86 MW of grid-connected solar power projects at Akola and Amravati in Maharashtra. The company has provided solar-powered smart class facilities to 122 government high schools at Yadgir, Karnataka, as a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

Technology shift in the solar industry has been happening across the globe. India, a notoriously cost-sensitive market, has also almost entirely moved away from the polycrystalline to the more efficient monocrystalline cells, and more recently, monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC), popularly called the mono PERC.

With the cost gaps and price premiums between these advanced technologies and the conventional ones are quickly shrinking, India has been moving towards more efficient technologies including the bifacial solar modules.

Mercom recently hosted a webinar on “Module Technologies and Trends Dominating the Indian Solar Market.” The consensus among the webinar participants was that mono PERC and bifacial would have a large market for the next two to three years.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, BEL has so far floated tenders for 798,430 solar cells.