The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued an Office Memorandum (OM) on Approved Models and Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2019. This OM is dated March 29, 2024.
It may be recalled that MNRE had issued the said Order on January 2, 2019. It had subsequently amended the Order on numerous occasions. The last amendments to this Order were dated May 10, 2023 and March 22, 2024.
Additionally, the MNRE had previously issued an OM dated March 10, 2023, announcing that the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar photovoltaic modules in terms of the Order were placed on hold for one financial year. Hence, the Order was kept in abeyance from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
The MNRE has now announced the recommencement of the ALMM for solar photovoltaic modules. However, the memo clarifies that solar power developers who received solar PV modules at their project sites by March 31, 2024 and were unable to commission them due to reasons beyond their control will be examined on a case-by-case basis.
The ALMM program mandates that only solar photovoltaic modules manufactured by manufacturers on the ALMM list can be used in government-backed solar energy projects in India. The program aims to ensure the quality and reliability of solar panels used in these projects.