In line with the changing dynamics of the Indian solar sector, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has now brought battery energy storage system (BESS) under the ambit of the Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices, and Component Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration under BIS Act) Order 2017. The order was issued by the MNRE in September 2017.

The MNRE has now assigned Indian Standard number IS 16270 to storage battery. The standard has been named, ‘Secondary Cells and Batteries for Solar PV Application General- Requirements and Methods of Test’.

The ministry has fixed April 16, 2018 as the date of implementation for the quality control order for BESS.

In March 2018, the MNRE had revised the schedule and the enforcement date of the quality control order saying that the order will now come into effect in September, 2018. Then in April 2018, MNRE had issued the schedule of implementation of the order.

Recently, Mercom reported about the dearth of test centers in the country in face of rapid expansion of the domestic renewable industry. Interactions with various project developers and manufacturers in the country revealed that the widespread sentiment of the industry was that the announced National Lab Policy and Quality Control Order are adding a new wrinkle that could slow down project commissioning.

The National Lab Policy for renewable energy testing and accreditation was created to improve  quality and reliability of renewable energy projects in India. MNRE believes that the country’s target of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 has made it necessary to develop and update the standards for various renewable energy systems and their related components and set up performance testing and certification facilities to ensure their quality.