Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has invited bids for the supply of 18,000 monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) cells, 5BB (busbars) of 5.62 W output and 18,000 multicrystalline solar cells, 5BB of 4.72 W output.

The last date to submit the bids is April 7, 2021. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The cells should be supplied within two months of the purchase order.

The mono PERC cells should be 158.75 ± 0.5 mm *158.75 ± 0.5 mm in dimension. The thickness of the cells should be 200 +/- 20 µm.

The multicrystalline solar cells should be 158.75 ± 0.5 mm *158.75 ± 0.5 mm in dimension. The thickness of the solar cells should be 200 +/- 20 µm.

The cells must be free of any cracks, holes, cuts, edge chipping, missing gridlines, smudges, patches, spots, marks, mechanical damage, or color and pattern mismatches. The cells should have homogeneous silicon nitride coating without any color variations.

To participate in the bidding process, the bidder should be an authorized crystalline solar cell manufacturer and have a minimum of 10 MW per year in-house polycrystalline silicon solar cell and mono PERC cell manufacturing capacity. The bidder should have supplied solar cells to reputed solar module manufacturers whose modules are certified for the 2016 version of IEC:61215, 61730. The bidder should have provided at least 100,000 pieces of 158.75 mm polycrystalline solar cells and mono PERC cells each to solar module manufacturers in the last three years.

The bidder’s average annual turnover should be at least ₹600,000 (~$8,177) in the last three financial years.

As per the tender document, the benefits and facilities applicable to micro and small enterprises (MSEs) will be available. Out of the 25% purchase preference for MSEs, 3% will be reserved for women-owned MSEs, and 6.25% of the total will be earmarked for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes-owned MSE firms.

Recently, BHEL invited bids for the supply of 3.117 million mono PERC cells of 5.38 Wp output and 16.555 million multicrystalline solar cells of 4.67 Wp output. The last date to submit the bids is April 1, 2021.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, BHEL has floated tenders for 31 million solar photovoltaic cells as of December 2020.

Mercom’s flagship event Mercom India Solar Summit, to be held virtually on April 8 and 9, has an exclusive session to discuss ‘Solar Modules to Not to Make in India?’. You can click here to register for the event. Panelists will discuss how Indian manufacturers are gearing up to set up new production units under the government’s production-linked incentive program.