The Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL), a joint venture between the center and the Rajasthan government, issued a tender for 200,000 multicrystalline silicon solar cells.

The company sought the supply of 100,000 each of 4.5W and 4.6W solar cells. The last date for submitting bids is November 3, 2020.

Cells of both wattages must be 156×156 ± 1.0mm or 156.75×156.75 ± 1.0 mm in dimensions. The 4.5W cells must be four to five busbars long, while the 4.6W must be five busbars in length. All the cells must be 200 μm ± 30 μm in thickness.

The cells are to be supplied on a one or two lot basis as mutually agreed. REIL can extend the delivery period if required. If deliveries are not made on time, liquidated damages will be applicable at the rate of 1% of the shipment’s overall value per week, limited to a maximum of 10%.

The cells must be vacuum packed in an export-worthy manner to avoid damage during transit in lots of 100 and must be secured tightly in shock-proof thermocol boxes. The cells will be supplied in a power band of 0.05W.

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. Suppliers are expected to provide information regarding cell type, crystalline structure, resistivity, orientation, thickness, and wattage of the cells in each box on a sticker.

REIL said it prefers to deal directly with manufacturers, especially domestic manufacturers, as long as they meet quality standards and specifications. Vendors who have not previously supplied cells to REIL are expected to submit a sample lot of 140 cells of each wattage free of cost for evaluation before the tender’s due date.

Recently, REIL issued a tender for the supply of 150,000 solar cells. It sought 50,000 each of 5W bifacial solar cells, 7W monocrystalline passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC), and 10W mono PERC cells.

Previously, in August, REIL issued a notice inviting tender for 600,000 multicrystalline solar cells with wattages of 4.5W, 4.6W, and 4.67W. The tender sought the supply of 200,000 cells for each specified wattage.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, REIL has so far floated a total of 45 tenders for 5.55 million solar cells, 39,000 solar modules, and about 210 MW of solar projects.