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Indian BIS Quality Requirement For Solar Panels Could Halt Surging Chinese Imports

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Indian BIS Quality Requirement For Solar Panels

Using certification and testing norms has been one of the best ways to discourage imports and promote domestic manufacturing. This also does not fall foul of WTO rules and regulations which make it very difficult to impose duties or give preference to homegrown companies. India has faced the wrong end of WTO rules when its nascent program to give DCR benefits to Indian solar manufacturing companies was nullified by a WTO ruling. This meant that even the 10-15% reservation of India’s massive demand could not be kept for Indian players.

Also, read why India’s Not So Smart Developers are Crying Wolf 

Vertical solar farm

Due to massive scale and cost advantages, China has captured almost 90% of the Indian market and Indian companies have no way to play at the same level. Now the Indian government is using the tried and tested Japanese and Chinese way of restricting imports into India.

This new rule should also help in lowering the bad quality of solar products which are extensively present in the Indian market. Indian developers have frequently used low-quality products to cut corners and lower the cost of the projects. Though this bites back in the long term, the cost has been the major factor for Indian developers till now. Hopefully, this new rule and BIS compliance will reduce the prevalence of bad quality solar panels in the Indian market.

The ‘Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017’ will come after a year which will be a very effective way of stopping surging Chinese panel imports. All solar panel sellers in India will have to apply to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to obtain registration and only then can they sell the goods in India.

This new rule will be applicable to solar panels, inverters and storage batteries. Samples shall be taken every two years by government inspectors for these products. As per MNRE, batteries must comply with Indian Standard Number IS 16270: Secondary Cells And Batteries For Solar Photovoltaic Application – General Requirements And Methods Of Test published by the Bureau of Indian Standards in 2014.

PG

Sneha Shah

I am Sneha, the Editor-in-chief for the Blog. We would be glad to receive suggestions, inputs & comments on GWI from you guys to keep it going! You can contact me for consultancy/trade inquires by writing an email to greensneha@yahoo.in

5 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Shireen Renu

    Do a solar lamp ( finished product ) need BIS ?

    For example solar street lamp , solar wall lamp or a solar garden lamp.all parts are integrated in one assembly ( complete fitting )

  2. Sarabjeet

    Is there is BIS on SMF lead acid battery

  3. C R PILLAI

    LED lamp is already in the list of mandatory requirement of BIS certification. Now, Solar PV Module and inverters are also being brought to the ambit of compulsory BIS marking. Thus, naturally, the solar lamp is also expected to have included in the purview of this requirement. However, some exemptions may be allowed for lamps of lower volt ranges.

  4. John

    Hi,
    The info is useful on this blog. Would like to know if import of small epoxy panels also need to comply with BIS requirement.

  5. Ashish

    Need BIS Certification for Solar plants by silvereye certification