The Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has invited bids for the supply of 1.5 million multicrystalline passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells.

The last date for submitting the bids is October 16, 2020, and the opening of bids will also take place on the same date.

The multicrystalline solar cells’ dimension should be 157x157mm+-0.25mm, and the efficiency of the solar cells should be at least 19.6%. The solar cells should be five busbars in length, and the thickness of the cells should be 200+-20 microns. All the cells should be free from chipping, micro-cracks, pinholes, and other cracks. There should also be no color variation between the cells.

To participate in the competitive bidding process, the supplier should confirm that the modules manufactured using the supplier’s cells conform to standards like IEC 61215/IS 14286 and IEC 62804. The bid can be from the Indian representative on behalf of the foreign company or from the foreign manufacturer directly, but both cannot bid simultaneously for the same tender. CEL also mentions that it prefers to get offers directly from the original manufacturers and deal directly with the manufacturer.

The modules will be manufactured with glass having optical loss of approximately 2% and transmittance of 91%. The modules’ total power should be less than the arithmetic summation of the power of the individual cells used therein.

As per the tender document, if the defective cells are less than 3%, all such cells should be replaced, and if the faulty cells are more than 3%, then the whole lot will be rejected.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, CEL has so far issued tenders for supply of 2.2 million multicrystalline solar cells and 1,00,000 monocrystalline cells.

Earlier in June, it had floated a tender for the supply of two million multicrystalline PERC solar cells. The tender was open to domestic as well as international suppliers.

The CEL is a government enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology. According to Mercom’s India Solar Market Leaderboard, the company currently has 52 MW of module manufacturing capacity.