New Delhi, Apr 5 (KNN) In a move to promote domestically manufactured solar modules and ensure compliance with domestic content requirements (DCR), the Indian government will soon launch an online “repository” to track indigenously produced solar photovoltaic (PV) modules.

This platform will assign a unique identification number to every solar module made in India.

Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, stated that the online platform's primary objective is to verify whether a particular solar module installed on the ground has been manufactured in India.

The platform's prototype has been developed in collaboration with the industry over a six-month period, and it is expected to be launched within the next two months.

The traceability platform will serve as a database for Indian-made solar modules, enabling the government to track when a module was manufactured, by which company, to whom it was sold, and how long it has been operational.

This information will be particularly useful for beneficiaries of the recently launched PM Surya Ghar scheme, who will be able to confirm whether the modules used for their rooftop solar installations are indeed domestically produced.

Bhalla emphasised that under various subsidised schemes, including the CPSU Scheme Phase-II and PM-KUSUM, it is mandated to source solar PV cells and modules from domestic manufacturers. Similar norms are also applicable for the PM Surya Ghar rooftop solar scheme.

The online repository's launch comes at a time when the government has re-imposed the Approved List of Modules & Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar module manufacturers, effective from April 1st.

This list was temporarily kept in abeyance for the financial year 2023-24 due to concerns about low supplies of modules and its potential impact on solar capacity addition.

(KNN Bureau)