MNRE Inviting Comments on National Lab Policy for Renewable Energy Sector

Early this year in July the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) started marking the final seal on a national lab policy to set norms for standardization, testing and certification of renewable energy related products in India, and also define the infrastructure required for the testing centres. We reported that the draft policy document is in the final stage and is expected to be complete soon. Now the ministry is inviting comment from public and related stakeholders. The comments may be provided by 6th October 2016 via email or post.

MNRE is engaged in promotion of development and deployment of new and renewable energy for addressing the growing energy needs and climate change concerns of the country. Performance testing and standardization is essential to ensure quality and reliability of products. Indian Standards (BIS) are available for most of the renewable energy systems. Test facilities have been set up for carrying out performance testing of various renewable energy systems.

Keeping in mind the enhanced target of renewable energy deployment set by the government and increased applications, the ministry in September 2015 constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Vikram Kumar, former Director, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Delhi, and currently Emeritus Professor, Centre for Applied Research in Electronics (CARE), IIT Delhi for preparing a “National Lab Policy for Testing, Standardization and Certification in Renewable Energy Sector”. The committee has prepared a draft Lab Policy Document. The policy document brought out a strategic action plan and structure for developing a comprehensive plan for strengthening, establishing, operating and monitoring the testing, standardisation and performance certification services for quality assurance.

The national lab policy document for renewable energy has identified four components as critical in the area of testing for solar photovoltaic (SPV) system: that includes modules, batteries, inverters and water pumping systems.

The draft states that “During recent field surveys serious concerns on quality and reliability of the installed PV systems have been raised, as the observations showed more than the normal rate of degradations in several cases. It is felt that an immediate policy intervention is needed for quality improvement of all the components and SPV systems and power plant.”

Setting standards or solar products is in line with the government’s thrust towards manufacturing more modules, inverters, solar cells and components indigenously.