The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the date for self-certification of six products done by solar module manufacturers to September 20, 2018. These six products are a part of Schedule order No. 2183 (E).

This is the second such extension provided by MNRE in this matter. Previously, MNRE had extended the date of submission from June 30, 2018 to September 4, 2018.

When contacted, an MNRE official said, “The industry needs more time and had requisitioned for the same and it has been granted. This will be the last extension.”

In September 2017, MNRE had issued Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, which was to come into force from September 5, 2018. But the date was later advanced to April 16, 2018 after consultation with various stakeholders including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on the condition of self-certification by manufacturers. The order was applicable until June 30, 2018.

Back in November, when asked why the order is being enforced nine months ahead of its original commencement date of September 5, 2018, an MNRE official had told Mercom, “Not much tendering has been done in the past few months, in the new financial year all developers and tendering agencies will plan their market strategies, it’s better that the policy is in place before a flurry of activity begins.”

Mercom recently reported that MNRE also issued a series of guidelines for conducting tests on solar modules (crystalline and thin film, including bifacial type). The tests are to be conducted by test labs for compulsory registration with the BIS for the implementation of the Solar Photovoltaics Systems, Devices and Component Goods Order 2017.

Mercom has also reported on the dearth of test centers in the country. The National Lab Policy and Quality Control Order announced by the government has added a new hindrance that could slow down project commissioning, according to solar project developers and manufacturers in the country.