The CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) has launched two apex-level calibration facilities to strengthen India’s national quality infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign certifications.

One of them is the National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration, a system to calibrate solar cells and modules. It is built around a laser-based differential spectral responsivity primary reference measurement system developed in collaboration with PTB Germany.

The facility is equipped to measure the short-circuit current of reference solar cells with a ±0.35% uncertainty, among the lowest in the world, helping establish a domestic traceability chain for solar metrology. This will help speed up turnaround times for Indian solar companies and enable certification standards suited to Indian climatic conditions.

The National Environmental Standard Laboratory (NESL), set up to test and recalibrate air pollution monitoring instruments and environmental sensors under Indian conditions, addresses the limitations of imported equipment certified under European/U.S. weather profiles.

NESL will help manufacturers and industries validate performance locally, strengthen the credibility of data for the National Clean Air Program, emissions audits, and smart-city monitoring networks, and provide reference gases, protocols, and uncertainty evaluation services to improve environmental data quality.

Together, the labs are expected to help micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, and indigenous manufacturers demonstrate product quality at lower cost, meet tightening regulatory guidelines on quality and transparency, and overcome trade and certification barriers in a cost-effective manner.

Both facilities were funded through grants from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.

Last month, MNRE issued revised guidelines for the series approval of solar modules, detailing how manufacturers and test laboratories must conduct performance and safety testing for compulsory Bureau of Indian Standards registration under the ‘Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order, 2025.’