Solar PV inverters To Continue Under Self Certification Regime till Dec 31, 2021

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a notification allowing self certification of Solar Photovoltaic Inverters (SPV)  from June 30, 2021, to December 31, 2021. The notification was issued on August 4.

The notification does add the condition that the manufacturers doing so must have valid International Electrotechnical Commission certificates and test reports from international test labs.

This is the probably the sixth extension granted for SPV certification after the earlier one in January  this year, when the self certification was extended to the end of June 2021.

The origin of the new rules are the ‘Solar PV Systems, Devices, and Components Goods Order, 2017’ that was issued requiring compulsory registration with six products included in the schedule on September 5, 2017. Issues, including delays at the Bureau of Indian Standards, led to the order being first extended to April 16, 2018.

While cells and modules have been brought under ALMM guidelines, SPV imports  have been allowed more leeway so far, and at least here the government has not shown the same urgency to go for tariff and non-tariff barriers. Currently, Solar Inverters are subject to a 20% duty, something that has nt really prevented them from dominating the market.

A key issue here might be the relative challenge of making these in the country, as many key electronic components have no manufacturing base here.