The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released draft guidelines for the series approval of solar modules. These guidelines aim to facilitate testing laboratories and manufacturers in forming product families for performance testing under the Solar Systems, Devices, and Components Goods Order, 2025.

The guidelines are designed to simplify the approval process for multiple products with design or material variations to ensure compliance with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) registration requirements. The guidelines aim to streamline the BIS certification process and ensure more accurate and consistent compliance in solar module manufacturing and testing.

Under the draft framework, a product family is defined as a group of modules constructed using a maximum configuration of components or sub-assemblies. These modules must share essential characteristics such as design, construction, and critical parts to ensure conformity with applicable technical requirements.

For testing multiple bins within a power class range, a total of six modules, two each from the lower, median, and higher ends of the power spectrum, must be tested. If no median power class exists, the next higher class will be used. When extending the qualification of a single power class to adjacent bins, testing must involve two modules, one from the lower end and one from the higher end. In cases where the extension is only to higher or lower bins, testing must include modules solely from the respective ranges.

High capacitance modules require special consideration due to hysteresis losses during current-voltage measurements. The hysteresis loss must remain below 0.5%. If it does not maintain that level, a detailed report of parameters such as dI/dt, dV/dt, IPmax, VPmax, and other capacitance-related values must be included for evaluation.

For safety testing, the new guidelines require the submission of ten framed modules and two unframed modules, with additional modules for specific test sequences, or if certain conditions apply, such as proving pollution degree reduction or qualifying cemented joints.

All modules used for testing must be technically identical, complete in every detail, and subjected to standard manufacturing inspections. Low-power or non-functioning modules are acceptable in certain tests, provided they match in construction.

Manufacturers must also submit complete information covering the materials and the manufacturing processes used. All available compliance certificates for pre-certified components must be presented. Where Indian standards are unavailable, relevant harmonized international standards will be considered.

Retesting is mandatory in case of changes to the bill of materials, design, component sources, or manufacturing processes. Manufacturers must disclose all changes from the previously tested versions. Any change beyond the specified tolerance, such as a 10% reduction in glass thickness, will require further testing using the worst-case scenario sample.

Testing labs will charge appropriately for any required retesting.

Recently, MNRE reduced the minimum module efficiency requirement under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers for modules used in off-grid solar projects.