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					</table><p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has expanded the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) by adding 3,501 MW of new solar module capacity. The cumulative module manufacturing capacity now stands at 37,421 MW.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tatapowersolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tata Power Solar</a> accounts for 2,525 MW of the newly added capacity, while <a href="https://goldisolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goldi Solar</a> contributes 976 MW.</p>
<p>With the latest addition, the ALMM now has 81 module manufacturers.</p>
<p>Even after the latest update, the ALMM has no foreign manufacturers.</p>
<p>MNRE has introduced significant changes to the ALMM by adding another module technology and the minimum efficiency requirements. The listed efficiencies are a mandatory benchmark for modules to be used in government projects.</p>
<p>The reforms include enlisting cadmium telluride thin film-based models in addition to the existing crystalline-silicon models from manufacturers that adhere to Bureau of Indian Standards norms and meet specific minimum module efficiency criteria. The minimum efficiency listed for cadmium telluride thin film-based modules is as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>Category I (grid-scale power projects): minimum module efficiency of 19%</li>
<li>Category II (rooftop and solar pumping): minimum module efficiency of 18.5%</li>
<li>Category III (solar lighting): minimum module efficiency of 18%</li>
</ul>
<p>As of March 22, 2024, only models of solar modules with efficiency equal to or greater than 18% have been considered for enlistment under ALMM List-1.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.credencesolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Credence Solar Panels</a> has been granted provisional approval for 670W, 610W, 570W, 560W, and 530W Bifacial Mono c-Si PERC solar modules. The 670W modules surpass the current highest enlisted module capacity of 650W.</p>
<p>Provisional ALMM enlistment is granted within seven days of BIS certification, and a time limit of two months will be provided for factory inspection and final enlistment, failing which the provisional enlistment will be deemed the final enlistment.</p>
<p>The ALMM order has been <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-almm-exemption-solar-projects-march-31-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept</a> in abeyance for one financial year, i.e., FY 2023-24. Projects commissioned by March 31, 2024, are exempt from the requirement to procure solar modules from ALMM.</p>
<p>Subscribe to our real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you never miss any critical updates from the renewable energy industry.</p>


MNRE Adds 3.5 GW of New Solar Module Capacity to ALMM


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					</table><p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has expanded the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) by adding 64 MW of new solar module capacity. The cumulative module manufacturing capacity now stands at 22,191 MW.</p>
<p>With the latest addition, the ALMM now has 72 module manufacturers.</p>
<p>Nearly half or 39 companies have enlisted module capacities of 500 Wp and above.</p>
<p>Even after the latest update, the ALMM has no foreign manufacturers.</p>
<p>MNRE has introduced significant changes to the ALMM. The reforms include enlisting models from manufacturers that adhere to Bureau of Indian Standards norms and meet specific minimum module efficiency criteria based on the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Category I (grid-scale power projects): minimum module efficiency of 20%</li>
<li>Category II (rooftop and solar pumping): minimum module efficiency of 19.5%</li>
<li>Category III (solar lighting): minimum module efficiency of 19%</li>
</ul>
<p>As of May 10, 2023, only models of solar modules with efficiency equal to or greater than 19% have been considered for enlistment under ALMM List-1.</p>
<p>GreenBrilliance Renewable Energy (50 MW) and Ritika Systems (40 MW) were removed from ALMM.</p>
<p>The enlisted capacities of some companies saw changes. The capacities of Aplex Solar (8 MW), Abhishek Solar Industries (142 MW), and Rhine Solar (28 MW) were increased, while that of SAEL Solar Energy saw a reduction of 24 MW.</p>
<p>Eight companies have been granted provisional enlistment for a cumulative capacity of 11,817 MW.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.credencesolar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Credence Solar Panels</a> has been granted provisional approval for a 670 W solar module, surpassing the current highest enlisted module capacity of 650 W.</p>
<p>Provisional ALMM enlistment is granted within seven days of BIS certification, and a time limit of two months will be provided for factory inspection and final enlistment, failing which the provisional enlistment will be deemed the final enlistment.</p>
<p>The ALMM order has been <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-almm-exemption-solar-projects-march-31-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">kept</a> in abeyance for one financial year, i.e., FY 2023-24. Projects commissioned by March 31, 2024, are exempt from the requirement to procure solar modules from ALMM.</p>
<p>Subscribe to our real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you never miss any critical updates from the renewable energy industry.</p>


MNRE Adds 64 MW of New Solar Module Capacity to the ALMM


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					</table><p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has updated the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) with the addition of five new entrants with a cumulative module manufacturing capacity of 343 MW.</p>
<p>The five new entrants are <a href="https://www.sael.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAEL</a> (141 MW), <a href="https://rhinesolar.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rhine Solar</a> (43 MW), <a href="http://www.sparksolar.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spark Solar</a> (42 MW), <a href="https://www.genusinnovation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Genus Innovation</a> (22 MW), and <a href="https://www.upsinverter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fujiyama Power Systems</a> (95 MW).</p>
<p>With the latest additions, the ALMM now has 82 module manufacturers with 19.19 GW of listed module capacity.</p>
<p>Even after the latest update, the ALMM has no Chinese manufacturers.</p>
<p>Only such models have been considered for enlistment in the ALMM List-1, whose module efficiency is greater than or equal to 19%. The ministry said solar module manufacturers whose models’ validity expired on March 9, 2023, and had not applied for renewal, have been delisted.</p>
<p>In March this year, MNRE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/almm-enlistment-co-branded-solar-modules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">modified</a> the ALMM guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements between original equipment manufacturers and brand owners.</p>
<p>Under the revised guidelines, if an applicant has multiple manufacturing sites or sources the finished products from other manufacturers and sells them under their brand name, all manufacturing sites, including the applicant’s own, must be inspected unless an exception applies.</p>
<p>The amended rules came after the implementation of the ALMM order for the financial year 2023-24 was put on <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-almm-exemption-solar-projects-march-31-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hold</a> by the government. As a result, solar projects commissioned by March 31, 2024, will be exempted from the requirement of procuring modules listed under ALMM.</p>
<p>Last October, MNRE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-almm-order-open-access-net-metering-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a> that open access and net metering renewable energy projects that had applied for approval before October 1, 2022, would not come under the purview of the ALMM. It also stated that the ALMM mandate would not apply to behind-the-meter solar power projects used for captive consumption by a consumer or group of consumers.</p>
<p>Subscribe to our real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you never miss any critical updates from the renewable energy industry.</p>


MNRE Adds Five New Solar Module Manufacturers to the ALMM


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					</table><p>The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) has modified the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) guidelines and provided exceptions to broaden the qualification criteria for modules produced under agreements between an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and a brand owner.</p>
<p>The amended rules have come after the implementation of the ALMM order for the financial year 2023-24 has been put on <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-almm-exemption-solar-projects-march-31-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hold</a> by the government. As a result, solar projects commissioned by March 31, 2024, will be exempted from the requirement of procuring modules listed under ALMM.</p>
<p>Under the revised guidelines, if an applicant has multiple manufacturing sites or sources the finished products from other manufacturers and sells them under their brand name, all manufacturing sites, including the applicant&#8217;s own, must be inspected unless an exception applies.</p>
<p>An exception applies if:</p>
<ul>
<li>An ALMM enlisted model of a brand owner is manufactured under a co-branding arrangement in the ALMM enlisted manufacturing facility of another OEM using the same manufacturing process and bill of materials.</li>
<li>An ALMM enlisted model of an OEM is manufactured under a co-branding arrangement in the OEM&#8217;s ALMM enlisted manufacturing facility using the same manufacturing process and bill of materials but bears the brand name of another ALMM enlisted manufacturer.</li>
</ul>
<p>A co-branding arrangement is a partnership between two companies where the brand owner and OEM share manufacturing facilities. The brand owner uses the OEM&#8217;s manufacturing facility to manufacture products but uses its brand name.</p>
<p>The companies execute an agreement about the co-branding arrangement, and the brand owner gives an order to the OEM for a specific capacity.</p>
<p>The existing guidelines stated that if an applicant has multiple manufacturing sites or sources of finished products from other manufacturers and sells them under their own brand name, all manufacturing sites, including the applicant&#8217;s own, must be inspected.</p>
<p><strong>New Clause </strong></p>
<p>The new clause mandates that both the brand owner and the OEM must be enlisted in ALMM. The brand owner should submit the application to MNRE with a copy of the agreement between the OEM and the brand owner.</p>
<p>The agreement should clearly specify the details of the brand owner and the OEM and the manufacturing capacity in MW/annum for which the co-branding arrangement has been executed. Additionally, the agreement should include the date of execution and the date until the agreement is valid.</p>
<p>If the brand owner wishes to enter into co-branding arrangements with different OEMs, they must submit separate applications for each OEM. Each application should be accompanied by the corresponding agreement between the brand owner and the OEM and the application fee of ₹1,000 (~$12).</p>
<p>The brand owner must provide an undertaking that the label of each model must display the name of the brand Owner and OEM, as well as the location of the OEM&#8217;s manufacturing unit where the model was produced. The application fee remains the same regardless of the capacity specified in the OEM and brand owner agreement.</p>
<p>The co-branded models will be listed under the brand owner&#8217;s name as an addition to their existing entry in the ALMM List.</p>
<p>The ALMM enlistment of co-branded models will be valid until two years from the enlistment date, the date of expiration of the validity of the agreement between the brand owner and OEM, or the date of expiration of any ALMM enlisted model of the brand owner, applicable only in cases not requiring inspection.</p>
<p><strong>Inspection fee</strong></p>
<p>The inspection fee for each additional site in the same country will be 50% of the original inspection fee. If additional sites are located in different countries, the inspection fee for each site will remain the same.</p>
<p>The ALMM mandate has resulted in delays in project development. India could only add 13 GW of solar capacity in 2022, against 10.2 GW installed in 2021, according to the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/q4-2022-india-solar-market-update/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Q4 &amp; Annual India Solar Market Update</a>.</p>


Government Clarifies ALMM Enlistment Guidelines for Co-branded Solar Modules

<p><a href="http://www.sjvn.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SJVN Limited</a>, a joint venture between the central government and the government of Himachal Pradesh, has floated a notice inviting expressions of interest (EOI) to enlist engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) vendors to develop 100 MW of solar projects in the country.</p>
<p>An earnest money deposit (EMD) is not required for this tender. The last date for the online submission of bids is December 17, 2020, and the last date for the offline submissions is December 21, 2020.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacture, supply, inspection, installation, erection, testing, and commissioning of the projects. Successful bidders are required to provide comprehensive operations and maintenance services for ten years. Applicants must be in a position to provide suitable and adequate land for the project.</p>
<p>To be eligible to participate in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have previously completed at least one 50 MW or higher capacity project with a similar scope of work worth at least ₹1.5 billion (~$20.4 million) in the last seven years. They must also present be operating and maintaining at least one 50 MW solar project.</p>
<p>Prospective bidders must also have an average annual turnover of at least ₹1.5 billion (~$20.4 million) in the last three years and have had a positive net worth in the previous audited years. Selected applicants will be enlisted for two years initially, and this will be renewed based on the fulfillment of technical, financial, and other criteria at the time.</p>
<p>In October, SJVN <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-issues-tender-to-purchase/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> bids to purchase 1,500 acres of land for setting up solar power projects in Rajasthan. The land was required to have a chain link fencing on its periphery and be located within 20 km from the Rajasthan Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s (RVPN) state transmission utility grid substation.</p>
<p>Previously, SJVN <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-epc-tender-solar-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> tenders for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 100 MW solar project at the Raghanesda Solar Park (Phase X) in Gujarat. It had just <a href="https://mercomindia.com/sjvn-100-mw-project-raghanesda-solar-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that it won the capacity in Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited’s (GUVNL) auction.</p>
<p>According to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">India Solar Tender Tracker</a>, SJVN has issued EPC contracts for 1200 MW of solar projects till now. Separately, as per Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-project-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">India Solar Project Tracker</a>, the company has 5 MW of operational solar projects and 200 MW under development, as of November 2020.</p>
<p>The hydropower generator has recently forayed into the solar segment and has big plans for the upcoming decade. Read about the company’s recent activities in the solar sector in an exclusive interview <a href="https://mercomindia.com/bundling-solar-hydro-tariffs-interview/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>


SJVN Floats Tender to Enlist EPC Contractors for 100 MW of Solar Projects

<p>The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (<a href="http://www.nhpcindia.com/home.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NHPC</a>) has issued documents for enlisting engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) vendors for floating and ground-mounted solar projects starting from 10 MW in size.</p>
<p>The scope of work for both categories of projects includes the design, manufacturing, supply, loading, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, erection, testing, and commissioning of the grid-connected floating or ground-mounted solar projects on a turnkey basis.</p>
<p>Successful bidders must also provide operation and maintenance services for the projects, including the transmission system for three years.</p>
<p>The last date for submission of enlistment applications for projects above 50 MW is February 19, 2020. For projects between 10-50 MW, the last date is February 17, 2020.</p>
<p>For projects ranging between 10-50 MW in capacity, bidders must have undertaken and commissioned similar projects with a cumulative installed capacity of 8 MW or higher of which at least one must be 2 MW to be eligible. Additionally, the 2 MW reference projects should have been in successful operations for at least six months. Applicants are also expected to have had a minimum average annual turnover, not less than ₹400 million (~$5.6 million) in the last three financial years.</p>
<p>For projects that are above 50 MW, bidding eligibility criteria state that the applicants must have taken up and commissioned similar projects of at least 40 MW in cumulative capacity, with one project being larger than 10 MW. The reference 10 MW must have been operational for at least six months.</p>
<p>Separately, applicants must also have had a minimum average annual turnover, not less than ₹2 billion (~$28.02 million) in the last three financial years.</p>
<p>Recently, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/nhpc-deadline-solar-tender-tariff-cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that the NHPC extended the bid submission deadline of its tender for 2 GW of solar projects. It also raised the minimum tariff payable to the project to ₹2.78 (~$0.04)/kWh from ₹2.65 ($0.037)/kWh.</p>
<p>Earlier, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/nhpc-epc-contractors-solar-odisha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NHPC issued</a> an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract for developing 40 MW of grid-connected solar power project at Ladeihil village in Ganjam district of Odisha. The NHPC had signed a memorandum of understanding back in 2015 with the Solar Energy Corporation of India to set up 250 MW of solar projects in the country. NHPC has also committed to the Ministry of New &amp; Renewable Energy to set up a minimum of <a href="http://nhpcindia.com/NewWebsite/Default.aspx?id=349&amp;lg=eng&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">430 MW</a> of renewable energy projects in the next five years as part of the <a href="http://nhpcindia.com/writereaddata/Images/pdf/Certificate-REnC.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Green Energy Commitment.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Image credit: SPG Solar [CC BY-SA <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Floating_PV_system_Far_Niente_Winery_California_2018.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">3.0</a>)]</p>


NHPC to Enlist EPC Vendors for Floating and Ground-Mounted Solar Projects

<p>The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has invited vendors to enlist for the infrastructure development of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.</p>
<p>The bid-submission deadline is August 2, 2019.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes the supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, and commissioning including earthing, cabling, and all associated civil works related to Bharat DC-001 and AC-001 chargers for EVs at identified locations.</p>
<p>The enlisted vendors will have to provide a one-year in-built warranty and an additional five years’ annual maintenance contract (AMC) for the complete system.</p>
<p>The NTPC has specified that the bidder should have manufactured and supplied or been a charge point provider of off-board EV DC chargers or should have executed at least one electrical sub-station of 11 kV or above voltage level which should be in successful operation for at least two years.</p>
<p>The NTPC is making its presence felt in the EV charging market segment. In <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-tender-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">March 2019</a>, it had invited bids to set up charging stations for EVs including buses and four-wheelers on a turnkey basis.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-agreement-vehicle-aggregators-ev-charging/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">In November 2018,</a> <a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NTPC Limited</a> signed a memorandum of understanding with seven vehicle aggregators namely: Ola, Lithium, Shuttl, Bikxie, Bounce, Electrie and Zoom Car, for the development and utilization of public charging infrastructure across the country.</p>
<p>The state-run company has also been developing charging stations across its power plants and regional offices in various parts of the country.</p>
<p>For instance, in March 2018, it <a href="https://mercomindia.com/exicom-ntpc-tender-ev-charging-jabalpur/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">awarded</a> a contract to Exicom to develop a 120 kW and 50 kW EV off-board DC chargers for electric buses in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The company has also been associated with companies like Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and Delhi Metro for the development of public charging infrastructure. With these tie-ups, the NTPC plans to set up an expansive network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles to address the issue of range anxiety for these vehicles.</p>
<p>Back in June 2017, the NTPC announced that it would be entering the EV charging business in India to deploy charging station infrastructure across the country. Then in September 2018, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-commissions-ev-charging-vishakhapatnam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that the NTPC commissioned its first EV charging station in Vishakhapatnam.</p>
<p>Image credit: NTPC</p>


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