The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has defined quality norms for photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels in a bid to contain cheap products from hampering the solar mission.
In an order dated August 30, the government said that sub-standard or defective goods that do not conform to the specified standard shall be disposed of as scrap. These norms will be valid for a year from August 30.
An official from the Ministry told BusinessLine that the government would be sampling solar panels, cells and modules that are already in the country. The norms will focus on efficiency and generation, the official added. The norms have also made it mandatory for any user of solar PV systems to make an application to the Bureau of Indian Standards and register for the use of the Standard Mark in respect of the Indian Standard.
The standards have been defined for solar PV modules, films, wafers, power converters, solar inverters and storage battery.