Just after analysts had said India’s solar quality control standards lacked clarity and investment in testing labs, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has brought forward the enforcement date in an attempt to ensure that quality control benefits the industry as soon as possible.
PV consultancy the Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin (PI Berlin) has formed a subsidiary based in Delhi, India, due to a high demand for laboratory testing and quality assurance in solar projects and equipment.
At the inaugural PV ModuleTech 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, it became clear that PERC module technology is fast becoming the industry standard and bifacial modules are no longer seen as a niche product, however, both technologies were scrutinised from the perspective of bankability and quality assurance studies throughout the event.
PV module manufacturers hoping to get new technologies taken up by the market quickly and at scale need to generate as much information as possible from testing houses and certification bodies for the finance community to consider their product, according to a representative of one of the world’s largest solar developers.
All eyes are on India after the historic solar bids seen in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, but headline prices won’t solve the more entrenched problems of the sector. PV Tech caught up with Ashish Khanna, executive director and CEO, Tata Power Solar, at the firm’s Noida offices near New Delhi to garner a rational viewpoint from one of the world's pioneering solar manufacturers and India's top solar rooftop EPC player.
India may be falling short of its aspirational renewable energy targets, but strong installation progress and rates of growth, particularly in solar, are buoying the sector.
A shock demonetisation policy across India giving its population just 50 days to swap various cash notes for newly printed legal tender should not affect the solar industry, but there are accounts of other "unethical practices" in the sector, according to consultancy firm Bridge to India.
India is seeking to ensure the quality and reliability of solar PV equipment imported into the country, as per a draft technical regulation released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
