The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has floated the draft amendment for including solar photovoltaic (PV) cells in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM).
The Ministry has also sought responses from the stakeholders, which can be sent by October 6, 2024. So far, Indian-made modules are part of the ALMM.
Solar cells are part of List-II of the ALMM (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2019. List-II of solar PV cells has not been issued due to installed capacity of cells in the country being lower than demand. Currently, India has around 6 gigawatt (GW) cell manufacturing capacity.
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“With installed capacity of solar PV cells in the country expected to increase substantially in next two years it is envisaged to issue List-II of solar PV cells under ALMM,” the MNRE said.
Adding solar cells to ALMM is a step that will aid in enhancing domestic manufacturing capacity for cells. It will also help reduce the influence of China in solar manufacturing value chain considering it accounts for 60 per cent of India’s cumulative cell imports.
“All projects falling under the purview of ALMM shall have to mandatorily source their solar PV modules from models and manufacturers included in ALMM List-I for solar PV modules and such solar PV modules in turn shall have to use solar PV cells from amongst the models and manufacturers enlisted in ALMM List-II for solar PV cells,” the Ministry has proposed.
Polysilicon is used to manufacture ingots, which are then sliced into wafers. Wafers are processed to form cells. These cells are then assembled together to create modules.
“Solar PV modules which are presently enlisted in ALMM List-I (for solar PV modules) and have their ALMM enlistment validity expiry date beyond March 31, 2026, shall also have to use solar PV cells from ALMM List-II (for solar PV cells) from April 1, 2026 onwards, failing which, they will be liable to be delisted from ALMM List-I,” the Ministry proposed.
Welcoming the development, Gautam Solar CEO Gautam Mohanka said “Solar cells are the indispensable components of modules, and currently, the country’s capacity to produce them is still far less than the domestic demand. In this context, ALMM’s broader scope is a significant move to facilitate the industry, foster competition, and enhance the quality of the approved modules for better returns.“
However, to derive the maximum benefits from this policy, Mohanka requested authorities to change the implementation date from April 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027, as establishing and revamping the solar cells facility is a time-consuming procedure that should be achieved through proper planning and smart strategies.
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