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					</table><p>The Ministry of Heavy Industries (<a href="https://heavyindustries.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MHI</a>) has released standard operating procedures (SOPs) under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program for automotive companies and component manufacturers to get their products tested and certified.</p>
<p>The program proposes financial incentives to boost domestic manufacturing of AAT products and attract investments in the automotive manufacturing value chain. It has two parts— Champion OEM, which will make electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, and Component Champions, which will make high-value and high-tech components.</p>
<p>Under the SOPs, companies and parts manufacturers can submit applications for the testing and certification of advanced automotive technology (AAT) components. Original equipment manufacturers can also submit their applications.</p>
<p>The PLI program for automobiles and auto components will provide financial incentives to boost domestic manufacturing of AAT products in the country. The program is aimed at attracting investments in the automotive manufacturing value chain.</p>
<p>The government through the PLI program for automobiles aims to resolve cost disabilities and economically scale the sector while strengthening the supply chain for components to be manufactured using advanced automotive technology.</p>
<p>Applicants must achieve 50% domestic value addition (DVA) to claim incentives under the program. Auto companies and component manufacturers must calculate and present the DVA across their supply chain and submit the details to the respective testing agencies.</p>
<p>MHI <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pli-ev-manufacturing-approved" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notified</a> the PLI program for automobile and auto components in September 2021.  The PLI program aims to encourage the industry to make fresh investments to make advanced auto products.</p>
<p>According to Union Minister of Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey, “The Ministry is trying to align itself with the Prime Minister&#8217;s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and these SOPs will not only help to achieve that but will also help to increase the manufacturing foothold. With this, the ministry aims to boost the domestic manufacturing sector and reduce dependence on imports, thereby creating more job opportunities for Indians. The program is expected to attract significant investments and help India become a global hub for automobile manufacturing.”</p>
<p>Last year, the ministry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-pli-auto-sector-accelerate-investments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notified</a> that the program has attracted a proposed investment of ₹748.5 billion (~$9.82 billion). Over five years, the target investment estimate was ₹425 billion (~$5.57 billion). The proposed investment of ₹450.16 billion (~$5.90 billion) was from approved applicants under the Champion OEM Incentive program and ₹298.34 billion (~$3.91 billion) from approved applicants under the Component Champion Incentive program.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
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Government Sets Norms for Auto Components Certification Under PLI Program  


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					</table><p>Material shortages and supply chain disruptions negatively impacted the sales and financials of solar equipment supplier <a href="https://www.sma-india.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SMA Solar Technology</a> during the first half (1H) of the financial year (FY) 2022.</p>
<p>SMA Solar recorded total sales of €472 million (~$479.52 million), a year-over-year (YoY) dip of 3.27% from €488 million (~$495.85 million). Persistent supply chain difficulties for electronic components continue to affect SMA’s sales and earnings.</p>
<p>SMA’s product portfolio includes solar PV and battery inverters, PV and battery-storage systems system solutions, energy management systems, and charging solutions for electric vehicles. The company also offers digital energy services and extensive services, including operation and maintenance services for solar power projects.</p>
<p>The company’s net income for 1H amounted to €11.6 million (~$12 million), a drop of 13% from €13.3 million (~$14 million) during 1H 2021.</p>
<p>Geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and lockdowns in China caused additional disruptions in the supply chain cycle.</p>
<p>Owing to the persistent strained supply situation for electronic parts, the German company sold approximately 5.8 GW of inverters between January and June 2022, a 15% fall in sales compared to 6.8 GW sold in the same period last year.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40309" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png" alt="" width="1504" height="869" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2.png 1504w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-300x173.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-768x444.png 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-650x376.png 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-624x361.png 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Picture2-2-600x347.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px" /></a></p>
<p>The company posted an adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) of €16 million (~$16.27 million), a YoY fall of 58% from €38 million (~$39 million).</p>
<p>SMA’s net cash flow from operating activities during 1H 2022 totaled €14.1 million (~$14.22 million), a YoY increase of 17% from €12 million (~$12.19 million).</p>
<p>The gross margin for the period declined to 20.3% from 22.3% in 1H 2021, while the cost of sales amounted to €376 million (~$382 million), against €380 million (~$386.21 million) last year.</p>
<p>SMA’s CEO Jürgen Reinert observed, “The ongoing highly strained supply situation is taking a significant toll on the development of sales and earnings. As in numerous other industries, the difficulties relating to the supply of electronic components are also affecting European inverter manufacturers, illustrating once again the dependency of global supply chains on the Asian markets. We are expecting a significant improvement of the overall situation and profitable sales growth from 2023 onwards. We are preparing for this by building a new gigawatt factory at the Kassel site and consequently doubling our production capacity by 2024.”</p>
<p>The company’s selling expenses rose to €47.8 million (~$49 million), a 10% increase from €43.5 million (~$44.22 million) in the same period last year. The increase SMA said was due to implementing a reorganization project and increased appearances at trade fairs.</p>
<p>SMA estimates that new photovoltaic installations in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region surged between 19 and 21 GW during 1H 2022 compared to 17 GW in 1H 2021, while inverter technology sales in EMEA increased to around €1.2-€1.4 billion (~$1.2-$1.43 billion) compared to €1.1 billion (~$1.118 billion) last year.</p>
<p>New investments in PV technologies in North and South America were between €800-€900 million (~$814-$915.20 million) compared to €800 million (~$814 million) last year.</p>
<p>SMA Solar <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sma-solar-technology-net-income-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> revenue of €984 million (~$1.04 billion) for the FY 2021, a YoY dip of 4.17% from €1,027 million (~$1.49 billion) in the fiscal before.</p>
<p>Another inverter manufacturer, Enphase Energy, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/enphase-energy-revenue-surges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a revenue of $530.2 million in Q2 2022, an increase of 66% from $316.05 million in Q2 2021.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gourav Mishra</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gourav,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav.</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WhatsApp-Image-2022-04-06-at-6.37.25-PM-1-1.jpeg" width="89" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gourav</a> is a staff reporter with Mercom India with over six years of experience in various roles with NewsX, The New Indian Express, IBTimes India, and U.S., Republic, and Analytics India Magazine. Gourav has a Master&#8217;s in journalism from Jain University, Bengaluru. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gourav-mishra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Gourav Mishra</a></div>
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Material Shortages, Supply Disruptions Cause 13% Dip in SMA Solar’s Net Income in 1H 2022


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					</table><p>At a time when the solar industry had started to gain momentum, with 2022 expected to be one of the best years in terms of installations, the increase in domestic module prices is worrying stakeholders.</p>
<p>For the first time, India <a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-installations-crossed-10-gw-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">installed</a> a record 10 GW of new solar capacity in 2021, a big jump of 210% year-over-year (YoY) compared to 3.2 GW installed in 2020.</p>
<p>According to Mercom India Research, India&#8217;s utility-scale project development pipeline is over 54 GW, with another 33 GW of projects tendered awaiting auction.</p>
<p>However, the rise in module prices due to the increase in the cost of the balance of system (BoS) components has added to the developers&#8217; challenges. A rise in input costs means the overall cost of projects will go up.</p>
<p><strong>Demand-supply gap </strong></p>
<p>Domestic module manufacturers have been hit hard due to solar supply chain disruptions and increased raw material prices. The current demand-supply gap in the market will take time to ease.</p>
<p>The increase in raw material prices has led to the rise in prices of polysilicon, EVA, backsheets, aluminum frames, and solar glass. Consequently, prices for solar panels have reached a level not seen in the last year or so.</p>
<p>Speaking to Mercom, Juhi Marwadi, Director of <a href="https://www.pixonenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PIXON Energy</a>, said, &#8220;The supply chain disruptions are now stifling domestic sector growth. Local manufacturers are struggling to close the demand-supply gap and keep up with the rising commodity and module BoS component prices. Smaller manufacturers, who lack the benefit of scale, are more affected by the disruptions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Saumya Ranjan Jena, Manager-Business Development at <a href="https://premierenergies.com/">Premier Energies</a>, said, &#8220;There is definitely a demand-supply gap, especially for aluminum, EVA, backsheets, junction boxes, interconnect copper &amp; busbar, RTV, potting material, etc.&#8221;</p>
<p>Due to the price increase of module BoS components and unavailability in the domestic market, module prices have gone up, affecting existing long-term contracts. &#8220;All parties resorted to re-negotiate the price; hence many contracts went unexecuted or short closed.&#8221;</p>
<p>He said that due to the price increase, many manufacturers did not get orders and their production lines remained idle.</p>
<p>Marwadi said that the increase in component prices had impacted module pricing significantly. &#8220;Prices continue to rise on a regular basis, affecting demand for solar modules. These costs vary widely among regions, technology, and market groups and are influenced heavily by local conditions and regulatory environments. To compete, the BoS industry is undergoing extensive cost-cutting and optimization.&#8221;</p>
<p>She expects the trend to continue until October this year.</p>
<p>Bharat Bhut, Co-founder and Director of <a href="https://goldisolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goldi Solar</a>, said, &#8220;Yes, there is a demand-supply gap, as the indigenous supply chain has not developed yet. Major BoS items have an additional duty component with anti-dumping duties, making it impossible to import raw materials too.&#8221;</p>
<p>Harsh Jain, Director, <a href="https://www.citizensolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Citizen Solar</a> concurred, &#8220;The demand-supply gap regarding the availability of module BoS components in the market is hurting manufacturing. Take the case of copper ribbons used in module manufacturing which are imported from China. Indian ribbons are also there in the market, but they are not of the same quality as the Chinese imports. We have to pay duties on the import of raw materials from China, which has led to the increase in module prices. EVA prices have stabilized, and the same is the case with backsheet. But metal prices have gone through the roof.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Limited BoS suppliers </strong></p>
<p>With a constant decrease in solar power tariffs, developers have been trying their best to enhance the efficiency of solar projects to maximize the return on investment. But their hands are tied with the rise of module prices and other components.</p>
<p>Highlighting the increase in module prices, Jena said that the price of mono PERC in January this year was $0.27-0.29/Wp. Currently, it has gone up to $0.35-0.37/Wp.</p>
<p>In India, there are not many BoS suppliers. &#8220;We have a limited supply of solar glass, EVA, backsheet, and junction boxes in India. Domestic prices are higher (5% to 10%) than the landed Chinese prices,&#8221; added Jena.</p>
<p>Bhut said that the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association reported that polysilicon prices had steadily soared to CNY 280 (~$41.78)/kg in June – the highest level ever recorded. &#8220;These materials add to the total module cost, making the Indian modules costlier than the Chinese ones. This has affected domestic module manufacturers.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jena said, &#8220;Most of the supplies come from China, which is unpredictable for a manufacturer. However, module prices are expected to decrease sooner than later, with  polysilicon capacities being added on a large scale in 2023-24.&#8221;</p>
<p>Bhut suggested that customers consider short-term buying to insulate themselves from rising prices. The government must intervene by removing duties on raw materials to keep the demand stable.</p>
<p>Stressing the need for domestic manufacturing of module BoS components, Jain said there was an urgent need to manufacture high-level module BoS components in India to cut the dependence on China.</p>
<p>&#8220;In India, we have eight to ten companies for EVA manufacturing. But for backsheets, we only have RenewSys. The most important thing is that the benefits we used to get earlier are not there, affecting the manufacturing sector, including the manufacturing of BoS components,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>With the rise in module BoS component prices and the inception of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) and the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), the market is getting more challenging for developers increasing the capital cost of the projects.</p>
<p>For developers, module price hikes and module component demand-supply gap are worrisome because solar tariffs have not increased in proportion to the increase in input costs. They have no option but to ride out the situation before normalcy returns.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are feeling the growing pains in developing a domestic supply chain. Relying on duties to block imports is a double-edged sword, especially when the industry is so dependent on imported components. The industry has to learn to live with volatility in both directions and better manage price risks when bidding for projects,&#8221; said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital group.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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Demand-Supply Gap of Solar Module BoS Components is Driving Domestic Module Prices Up


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					</table><p>Electric vehicle (EV) startup <a href="https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&amp;&amp;p=3f22ad36f55a742c14fd87889543ad819a6ece3a923b5dbbdb67f0c37adc1debJmltdHM9MTY1NjMwNzg0OSZpZ3VpZD03NDNkZTAxYS0xN2YzLTRmZTEtODMwZi1iNTVlYTk3NWU3OGEmaW5zaWQ9NTE2MQ&amp;ptn=3&amp;fclid=4d62120d-f5da-11ec-a088-529b63d8a109&amp;u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVjd2luaW5kaWEuY29tLw&amp;ntb=1">Mecwin India</a> will invest ₹500 million (~$6.38 million) to set up a manufacturing plant for EV motors and controllers in Karnataka.</p>
<p>The manufacturing facility for indigenous EV motors and controllers will come up in Bengaluru and be operational by the end of this year. Armed with futuristic technologies, the facility will have an initial manufacturing capacity of 2,000 units per day. It will cater to the country&#8217;s demand for indigenous mid-drive and hub motors from key EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The company&#8217;s EV motors are designed, developed, and made in India for 2, 3, and 4-wheelers.</p>
<p>According to Mecwin, the Indian electric vehicle market is expected to be worth $15 billion by 2027 from $1.4 billion today. However, one of the immediate challenges is to reduce imports of EV components and promote indigenous manufacturing of core components such as motors, controllers, battery management systems (BMS), batteries, and required electronics.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are thrilled to set up our world-class EV motors and controllers plant in Bengaluru and support the Karnataka government&#8217;s vision of making the state a global hub for EV manufacturing. The plant is also a big step towards realizing our aim of building and supporting an indigenous EV component manufacturing ecosystem and empowering EV OEMs,&#8221; Shiva Kumar HM, Co-founder and Director, Mecwin India.</p>
<p>&#8220;As demand for electric vehicles takes off in India, the time is right for enhancing our manufacturing capacity and contributing to the growth of the EV segment. We will work closely with leading OEMs to ensure the supply of high-quality EV motors and controllers. We also plan to gradually scale up capacity as demand rises.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mecwin had recently announced its foray into the EV retrofitting segment with an ₹15 billion (~$191.57 million) deal with Raipur-based Tatva Group. The company will manufacture and supply 500,000 retrofitting kits, including motor, controller, lithium-ion battery, and charger, for different vehicles over the next three years to Tatva Group.</p>
<p>The government think tank NITI Aayog, in its draft battery swapping policy, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/draft-battery-swapping-policy/">suggested</a> that batteries must be enabled with a battery management system to protect batteries from conditions such as thermal runaway.</p>
<p>Several states, including <a href="https://mercomindia.com/assam-electric-vehicle-policy/">Assam</a>, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/maharashtras-draft-ev-policy-25-e-public-transport-2025/">Maharashtra</a>, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/delhi-new-ev-incentives-policy/">Delhi</a>, and <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gujarat-unveils-electric-vehicle-policy/">Gujarat</a>, have launched state-specific EV policies to bolster EV and related-infrastructure production.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Arjun Joshi</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Arjun Joshi,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="86" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Arjun Joshi</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, he worked as a technical writer for enterprise resource software companies based in India and abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Optional English from Garden City University, Bangalore. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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Mecwin to Invest ₹500 Million in EV Components Manufacturing Plant in Karnataka

<p>The Agency for New &amp; Renewable Energy Research and Technology (<a href="https://anert.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ANERT</a>) has issued a rate contract tender to list solar power components for supply in Kerala.</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is January 12, 2022. Bids will be opened on January 14.</p>
<p>The successful bidder will have to furnish ₹100,000 (~$1,338) as a performance bank guarantee.</p>
<p>ANERT has stated that only those modules that are listed in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) will be eligible for supply under the tender.</p>
<p>The approximate quantity that will be required during the period of the rate contract is given below:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-31531" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender.png" alt="ANERT Tender" width="1145" height="660" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender.png 1145w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender-300x173.png 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender-768x443.png 768w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender-650x375.png 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender-624x360.png 624w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ANERT-Tender-600x346.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1145px) 100vw, 1145px" /></p>
<p>Original equipment manufacturers should have been in the business concerned for the last two years in India. They should have authorized service centers in the state and provide a warranty for the components.</p>
<p>For solar modules, the bidders should have a minimum manufacturing capacity of 10 MW in India and should have supplied at least 25 MW for projects in the country. They should have a positive net worth in at least two of the last five years. The minimum average annual turnover for the best two years out of the last five years should be at least ₹20 million (~$267,798).</p>
<p>For solar inverters, the bidders should have a minimum manufacturing capacity of 10 MW in India and should have supplied at least 20 MW for projects in the country. Their net worth should be positive in at least two of the last five years. Their minimum average turnover in the two best years out of the last five years should be at least ₹20 million (~$267,798).</p>
<p>For batteries, the bidders should have supplied solar batteries of a capacity of 30 MWhr or above in India. For lithium-ion battery manufacturers, the limit is 10 MWh. The financial criteria remain the same as for solar modules and solar inverters.</p>
<p>If the original equipment manufacturer fails to deliver the required quantity within the stipulated period, liquidated damages must be paid at 0.5% of the order value for each week of delay, subject to a maximum of 10% of the contract price.</p>
<p>Recently, ANERT <a href="https://mercomindia.com/bids-invited-register-vendors-installation-solar-projects-in-kerala/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to register vendors for installing solar projects in Kerala. The scope of work included the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of on-grid, off-grid, and hybrid solar power projects in the state.</p>
<p>Last October, ANERT <a href="https://mercomindia.com/anert-releases-rate-contract-tender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids from empanelled agencies for the rate contract of 10 MW of solar power projects.</p>
<p>According to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a>, ANERT has so far floated tenders for 30.5 MW of solar power projects.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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Rate Contract Tender Issued for Supply of Solar Components

<p>The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (<a href="https://anert.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ANERT</a>) has issued a tender to list solar components on a rate contract basis. The bidders must list on ANERT’s e-marketplace (<a href="http://www.BuyMySun.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.BuyMySun.com</a>) to supply components to solar projects in Kerala.</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is October 23, 2021. Bids will be opened on October 25.</p>
<p>Bidders will have to pay a registration fee of ₹25,000 (~$336). The original equipment manufacturers (OEM) listed with ANERT will not be required to pay the registration fee.</p>
<p>The successful bidder will have to submit an amount of ₹100,000 (~$1,346) as a performance security deposit having a validity of 12 months from the date of the agreement.</p>
<p>The bidder must supply the items within three weeks from the issue of the supply order.</p>
<p>Only OEMs or direct distributors of the OEMs are eligible to participate in the tender. The components supplied should be from the models listed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM).</p>
<p>The selected bidders will be provided an opportunity to list their components on the e-marketplace of ANERT – <a href="http://www.BuyMySun.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.BuyMySun.com</a> for easy procurement by the general public, state public sector units, and other stakeholders. ANERT will issue supply orders for the projects directly executed by ANERT at the rate quoted on a rotational basis.</p>
<p>The approximate quantity that will be required during the rate contract period is listed in the table below. Bidders are required to submit rates for this capacity per unit.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-29454" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Anert.png" alt="ANERT: Approximate Quantity Required During the Period of Rate Contract" width="494" height="357" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Anert.png 494w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Anert-300x217.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px" /></p>
<p>The bidder should be in business for the last two years and have service centers in Kerala. The bidder should provide a warranty for the components and submit an undertaking to provide service support during the entire warranty period.</p>
<p>For the supply of modules, the bidder should have a minimum manufacturing capacity of 10 MW within India and should have supplied at least 25 MW for projects within India. Any central or state government department should not have blacklisted the bidder as on the bid opening date.</p>
<p>The bidder should have a positive net worth in at least two of the last five financial years. The bidder’s minimum average annual turnover during any two of the previous five years must be at least ₹20 million (~$269,258).</p>
<p>For solar inverters, the bidder should have a minimum manufacturing capacity of 10 MW within India and supplied at least 20 MW for projects. The financial criteria remain the same for modules.</p>
<p>For batteries, the bidder should have a minimum manufacturing capacity of 25 MWh within India and should have supplied at least 30 MWh for projects. For lithium battery manufacturers, the limit is 10 MWh. The financial criteria remain the same.</p>
<p>Last October, ANERT <a href="https://mercomindia.com/anert-releases-rate-contract-tender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids from empanelled agencies for the rate contract of 10 MW of solar power projects.</p>
<p>Earlier, ANERT had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/anert-floats-dcr-tender-solar-kerala/">issued</a> a request for selection (RfS) for 6 MW of grid-connected ground-mounted solar systems in Palakkad, Kerala.</p>
<p>According to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a>, ANERT has so far floated nearly 30 MW of solar tenders.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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Tender Issued to List Components for Supply to Solar Projects in Kerala

<p>The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (<a href="https://dhi.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MHIPE</a>)  has issued a notification to all the testing agencies under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II).</p>
<p>The notification is regarding the eligibility under the revised Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) for xEV parts. For the uninitiated, xEV is the generic name for electromotive vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel-cell electric vehicles.</p>
<p>Last year, the government announced that it would set up a national mission on transformative mobility and battery storage initiatives. The Cabinet had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/government-blueprint-ev-battery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">also approved</a> the creation of the Phased Manufacturing Program to support the development of large-scale, export-competitive integrated batteries and cell-manufacturing giga-scale projects in India. The Phased Manufacturing Program will be valid for five years until 2024 and help in localization of production across the entire electric vehicle value chain. The objective of the mission is to make technology-driven sustainable and holistic mobility solutions universal by scaling up the manufacture of these vehicles.</p>
<p>Under the revised program, the traction battery pack is to be assembled domestically, for which battery cells and associated thermal and battery management systems be imported.</p>
<p>Further, the Ministry has stated that all other parts and components other than the ones mentioned in the list below should be domestically manufactured and assembled. These xEV parts should have safety components notified by the central motor vehicle rules (CMVR) and must be tested by the testing agencies.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19342" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II.png" alt="Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) for xEV Parts for Eligibility Under FAME India Scheme Phase-II" width="1432" height="1950" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II.png 1432w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-220x300.png 220w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-752x1024.png 752w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-768x1046.png 768w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-1128x1536.png 1128w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-650x885.png 650w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-624x850.png 624w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Phased-Manufacturing-Program-PMP-for-xEV-Parts-for-Eligibility-Under-FAME-India-Scheme-Phase-II-600x817.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px" /></a>Under the FAME program, the government aims to achieve 100% e-mobility by 2030, striving to provide a robust ecosystem of electric mobility.</p>
<p>In May 2019, the Ministry had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/government-list-ev-parts-fame-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">released</a> a revised list of parts that are to be indigenized under the Phased Manufacturing Program of FAME II program. The list consisted of 20 eligible components that are used in electric vehicles across the two, three, and four-wheeled segments, which will be covered under the program.</p>
<p>The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-blueprint-battery-waste-management/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> a draft notification for battery waste management in March. The regulations will apply to all types of batteries as listed in the Schedule-I, regardless of their shape, volume, weight, material, and composition, or use. Under Schedule-I, the batteries have been categorized under two sections. They are primary cells or non-rechargeable batteries and secondary cells or chargeable batteries. Alkaline, aluminum-air batteries, or Grove cell, or Clark cell, or Zinc chloride battery, are categorized under primary cells. On the other hand, flow battery, Lithium-air battery, and Lithium-ion polymer battery are listed under the category of the secondary cell.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/anjana/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Anjana Parikh</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Anjana2.png" width="112" height="121" />Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.</p>
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Government Notifies Eligibility Criteria for EV Components Under FAME Program

<p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a memorandum for state-wise renewable energy capacity allocation under the KUSUM program for the country’s farmers.</p>
<p>The capacities have been allocated to various states in line with the demand received from states, the targets listed under the KUSUM program, and the guidelines. These will be applicable for the first year of the program.</p>
<p>The program has been divided into three components and aims to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022.</p>
<ul>
<li>The first component under the program includes the installation of 10,000 MW of decentralized ground-mounted grid-connected renewable power projects.</li>
<li>The second component will be the installation of 1.75 million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps.</li>
<li>The third component is solarization of 1 million grid-connected solar-powered agriculture pumps.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/State-wise-Allocation-of-Capacities-Under-the-Three-Components-for-Implementation-During-the-First-Year-of-the-KUSUM-Program.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15115" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/State-wise-Allocation-of-Capacities-Under-the-Three-Components-for-Implementation-During-the-First-Year-of-the-KUSUM-Program.png" alt="State-wise Allocation of Capacities Under the Three Components for Implementation During the First Year of the KUSUM Program" width="483" height="694" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/State-wise-Allocation-of-Capacities-Under-the-Three-Components-for-Implementation-During-the-First-Year-of-the-KUSUM-Program.png 483w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/State-wise-Allocation-of-Capacities-Under-the-Three-Components-for-Implementation-During-the-First-Year-of-the-KUSUM-Program-209x300.png 209w" sizes="(max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px" /></a></p>
<p>This is a tentative capacity allocation. Once the state subsidy share of a minimum of 30% for the quantity allocated under Component – B and Component – C are confirmed, the state-wise capacity allocation list will be finalized.</p>
<p>The states must submit their revised demand for the first year of the program. The ministry will approve the final amount after getting the revised demand with confirmation of the state subsidy shares of 30% from participating states or union territories under the program.</p>
<p>Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the launch of the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/kusum-1-75-mn-solar-pumps-solarize-1-mn-water-pumps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KUSUM</a> program which will provide ₹334.22 billion (~$4.69 billion) in central financial support. The goal of the program is to give financial and water security to farmers.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/central-electronics-solar-pump-kusum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Central</a> Electronics Limited of the central government recently invited an Expression of Interest for the empanelment of manufactures of solar water pumps in tenders under the KUSUM program.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/manufacturers-questions-usage-solar-cells-kusum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Solar</a> Energy Equipment Manufacturers Association of Telangana has written a letter to the Minister of Power, R.K. Singh requesting the withdrawal of “the irrational and impractical decision of mandatory usage of the indigenous solar cells in the KUSUM program.”</p>
<p>Image credit: Pooja Jadhav [CC BY-SA <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4.0</a>]</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/ramya/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Ramya Ranganath</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ramya1.png" width="92" height="94" data-default="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/plugins/simple-author-box/assets/img/default.png" /></p>
<p>Ramya Ranganath is an Associate Editor and Writer for Mercom Communications India. Before joining Mercom, Ramya worked as a Senior Editor at a digital media supply chain solutions company. Throughout her career, she has developed end-to-end content for various companies in a wide range of domains, including renewables. Ramya holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology and is passionate about environmental issues and permaculture.</p>
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MNRE Begins Allocation of Renewable Capacities to States Under KUSUM Program for India’s Farmers

<p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has issued a memorandum concerning the importance of following BIS certification when it comes to quality of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules.  According to the memorandum, “The lenders involved in financing solar PV power projects must insist for BIS certification regarding quality of solar modules and not whether the supply of solar modules is from the Bloomberg Tier-I List.”</p>
<p>With a view to ensure quality of solar PV equipment, MNRE earlier notified &#8220;Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017.&#8221; This order made it mandatory for any manufacturer, involved in manufacturing, storing for sale, selling or distributing crystalline silicon terrestrial PV modules (Si wafer based), thin-film terrestrial PV modules (a-Si, CiGs and CdTe), PV module ( Si wafer and Thin film), power converters for use in PV power system, utility—interconnected PV inverters, storage battery, to obtain registration for concerned Indian Standards as specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).</p>
<p>Prior to the implementation of the BIS certification as a compulsory requirement there was no uniform and standard means to ascertain the quality of the modules supplied in India. Therefore, the Bloomberg Tier-I List was followed as recognized standards by the lenders.</p>
<p>The MNRE memorandum stated that the ministry has received representations requesting that instead of insisting on Tier-I Solar PV modules, BIS certified solar PV modules should be acceptable.</p>
<p>Tier-I does not reflect on the quality of solar PV modules, but on the financial capability of the manufacturers as evaluated by Bloomberg. While MNRE&#8217;s &#8220;Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017&#8221; certifies the quality of the solar PV modules.</p>
<p>The fact that supply is from Tier-I company does not ensure quality of the module. It only ensures that the module manufacturer is recognized as a Tier-I manufacturer by Bloomberg based on its financial strength. This list is also dynamic and keeps on changing every quarter. Further, such a condition automatically leads to a preference being given to foreign, including Chinese, manufacturers at the cost of Indian ones. It is the quality which the lenders should be interested in and the focus should be on modules satisfying the BIS standards, irrespective of the financial strength of the company, according to the memorandum.</p>
<p>When contacted a MNRE official said, “The whole BIS certification was brought about to ensure top quality solar PV projects in India. It is not only about the sun, it is also about the weather conditions and what is best-suited for us in terms of technology. When our solar sector was just coming up, we did not have the quality-scale or any such thing, so Tier-I became a norm, but now as our sector has evolved, we have come up with a set of guidelines/rules/protocols that are to followed if desired quality in Indian conditions is to be met.”</p>
<p>According to Mercom, 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 <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-revises-enforcement-date-quality-control/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">September 5, 2018</a>. But the date was later advanced after consultation with various stakeholders including BIS on the condition of self-certification by manufacturers. The order was applicable until June 30, 2018. After this the MNRE had extended the date of submission from June 30, 2018 to September 4, 2018.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-extends-deadline-self-certification-solar-modules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In September 2018</a>, MNRE again provided a final extension; date for self-certification of six products done by solar module manufacturers was extended to September 20, 2018. The 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.</p>
<p>The MNRE official continued, “Now, we have test labs that have received BIS certification done to conduct quality checks/tests on modules and other solar components. We have the infrastructure to implement BIS certification, a growing number of firms are becoming BIS certified and conforming to Indian standards. It is of utmost importance that lenders/investors/institutions know what the requirement is.”</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Saumy Prateek</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/saumy-edited-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Saumy Prateek</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Saumy Prateek</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/saumy-edited-1.png" width="79" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" rel="noopener"><strong>Saumy Prateek, </strong> </a>is a senior staff reporter with MercomIndia.com covering business and energy news since 2016. Prior to Mercom, Saumy was a copy editor at Thomson Reuters. Saumy earned his Bachelors Degree in Journalism &amp; Mass Communication from the Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/">More articles from Saumy Prateek.</a></div>
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