News Brief
Is Your Rooftop Solar Module Made In India Or China? You'll Soon Be Able to Find Out
Solar panels installed on rooftop
The Centre government is gearing up to provide clarity on the origin of rooftop solar modules with the upcoming launch of an online platform.
This platform will empower citizens to ascertain whether their rooftop solar modules are made in India or imported from other countries like China.
The move comes following the failure of domestic content rules (DCR) to curb Chinese imports.
Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, secretary for the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, announced that all indigneously manufactured module will receive a unique identification number, which will be registered on the platform.
The platform will also allow beneficiaries of the recently launched PM Surya Ghar scheme to verify if the modules used for their rooftop solar installations are indeed made in India.
"We will launch an online platform for traceability of domestically manufactured modules. All such modules will have unique IDs, which will be populated on the platform and it will help us verify whether a particular module on the ground has been manufactured in India," Bhalla said, Livemint reported.
"The prototype has already been developed in a six-month process with the help of the industry, we are likely to launch it in about two months," he added.
Under various subsidized schemes of the ministry such as CPSU Scheme Phase-II and PM-KUSUM, sourcing solar PV cells and modules from domestic manufacturers has been mandated. Similar regulations apply to the 'PM Surya Ghar' rooftop solar scheme.
The online platform will serve as a repository or a database of India-made modules, aiding in compliance with domestic content requirements (DCR) and facilitating tracking of manufacturing details, sales, operational lifespan, and even usage in grid-scale solar projects.
"It will also be useful in the recently launched PM Surya Ghar yojana, wherein the households will be able to check whether the modules installed at their rooftop are locally produced," Bhalla said.
This initiative coincides with the government's decision to reintroduce the Approved List of Modules & Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar module manufacturers starting 1 April.
The order to procure solar modules exclusively from ALMM-listed manufacturers was temporarily suspended for the fiscal year 2024 due to module supply shortages and its potential impacts on solar capacity addition.
Goods made by firms on the ALMM list can be sourced for government-supported schemes and projects where electricity discoms procure electricity. Manufacturers and solar modules are approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the ministry of new and renewable energy.
Bhalla emphasised that reinstating the ALMM would address concerns regarding escalating imports, as the domestic ecosystem can support projects, with around 37 GW already contracted under the ALMM.
This move aligns with India's target of achieving 500 GW installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and reflects efforts to reduce dependency on imports amid diplomatic tensions with China and the latter's status as the world's leading solar module exporter.
Apart from the imposition of higher basic customs duty and the ALMM to restrict imports, a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme is also underway for local manufacturing of these modules.
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