
UL Announces the Launch of its First Mobile Solar Module Testing Laboratory
Underwriters Laboratories, commonly known as UL, has announced the launch of its first ever mobile solar PV testing laboratory in New Delhi. The lab’s function is to identify, evaluate, and ...

Pennar Was the Leading Solar Mounting Structure Supplier in 2018 Followed by SNS and Ganges
Pennar Industries was the top supplier of solar mounting structures in India, both in cumulative terms and in 2018, according to Mercom’s India 2019 Solar Market Leaderboard. SNS Corporation and ...

New MNRE Guidelines for Solar Manufacturers to Keep Project Quality in Check
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a set of guidelines to be followed by solar manufacturers for models of modules that will be utilized in government-owned projects ...

Deadline for Self-certification of Solar Modules Extended by Another 3 Months
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has extended the deadline for the self-certification of solar photovoltaic modules (crystalline and thin film, including bifacial type) by three months. The ...

Make in India Products Compulsory for Government Developed Renewable Energy Projects
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a memorandum for the implementation of public procurement in renewable energy sector giving preference to ‘Make in India’ products. This ...

Is the Indian Solar Market Ready to Make the Transition to Mono PERC Modules?
Consensus in the solar industry is that it is gradually shifting towards monocrystalline cell technology from the more common multicrystalline (also called multicrystalline) cells and modules. The introduction of passivated ...

Deadline for Self-Certification of Solar Modules Extended Again to January 1, 2019
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a notification to extend the date of self-certification of six solar products from September 20, 2018 to January 1, 2019. The ...

Industry Sees Many Challenges with BIS Certification Guidelines for Solar Modules
The rapid pace of solar installations in India has brought the concern for quality of equipment to the forefront. Recognizing the issue at hand, the Ministry of New and Renewable ...

Mobile Solar Module Testing Vans have Higher Uncertainty of Measurement: TUV Rheinland
Recently, Mercom reported on the lack of testing centers in the country with the rapid expansion of the domestic renewable industry. Conversations with various project developers and manufacturers in the country ...

US Imposes 25 Percent Import Tariff on Solar Cells and Modules from China
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has announced a 25 percent additional tariff on the import of 279 Chinese products, worth approximately $16 billion. Among these products, ...

US, EU Countries on the List of 25% Solar Safeguard Duty Recommended by India’s DGTR
The United States, the European Union, and other developed countries will be on the receiving end of the 25 percent safeguard duty if the Government of India accepts the recommendations ...

25% Safeguard Duty on Solar Imports to India Recommended
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended a 25 percent safeguard duty on solar cell imports from China and Malaysia for the first year, followed by a phased ...

CEL Invites EoI for Setting Up Solar Module and Cell Manufacturing Units
The Central Electronics Limited (CEL), a public sector enterprise of the government of India, has invited expression of interest (EoI) from interested parties to set up manufacturing facility in the ...

NISE Issues Tender for Setting up Ignitability Test Facilities for Solar PV Modules
The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous body formed under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), has issued a tender to set up ignitability test facilities ...

Solar Imports to India Surge in Q1 2018
In the first quarter (Q1) of calendar year (CY) 2018, India imported solar modules and cells worth over $1 billion and exported modules and cells worth approximately $19.15 million. There ...

Rupee Depreciation Beginning to Affect Solar Supply Chain in India
A volatile rupee is beginning to affect domestic solar developers and solar project component suppliers alike. One U.S. dollar is hovering around ₹68 which is the highest exchange rate in ...

Solar Cell and Module Technologies in India Will be on Focus if Duties are Imposed
The Indian solar industry currently is consumed by whether a safeguard duty will be imposed or not and all the pros and cons around it. If a safeguard duty is ...

DGAD Initiates Anti-Dumping Investigation into Solar Imports of EVA Sheets
The office of Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has initiated an investigation on import of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) sheets for solar modules imported from China PR, Malaysia, ...

Safeguard Duty Case Update: Parties to Provide Written Submissions to Madras High Court
The Madras High Court has asked domestic project developer Shapoorji Pallonji and the Office of the Director General (DG) of Safeguards to submit written statements on the ongoing safeguard duty ...

BREAKING: Petitioners Withdraw Solar Anti-Dumping Case, to Refile Next Week
In a significant development, Indian solar manufacturers have withdrawn the anti-dumping petition filed with the Ministry of Trade and Commerce against solar cell and module imports from China, Taiwan and ...

WTO Agrees to Set Up Compliance Panel for the Ongoing India-US Solar Trade Dispute
In a relief for India, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has agreed to set up a panel to look into the ongoing trade conflict ...

Madras High Court Postpones Safeguard Duty Hearing to March 2, 2018
The Safeguard Duty case in the Madras High Court will continue to be dragged on for some more time. According to Mercom’s sources in the court, the Madras High Court ...

Use of Mislabeled Imported Solar Panels in DCR Projects to be Penalized
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an order stating that project developers will be penalized for the utilization of imported solar modules to develop projects under ...

Longi Interview: Anti-Dumping Duty Would Not Be Good for India in The Long Run
The ongoing anti-dumping investigation has domestic manufacturers wondering about their fates. As the country looks toward a greener future with an expansion of the renewable energy sector in coming years, ...

Update: Solar Module Misclassification Issue at Ports Only Partially Resolved
The solar module misclassification issue at ports is not fully resolved yet according to Mercom findings. The 7.5 percent (plus cess) duty has still not been eliminated but the government ...