Project developers may use solar equipment of their choice till Sept: MNRE

The renewable energy ministry has given six-month extension till September to solar project developers to use equipment of their choice in view of the lockdown.

Lastyear, the ministry had set March 31, 2020 as the effective date beyond which the developers would have to source equipment as per the approved list of models and makers of solar modules and cells.

The six-month extension is for the firms developing government owned and assisted projects. Besides, it also covers projects auctioned under central government guidelines, according to a statement by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

The ministry has recently issued a directiveextending the effective date for implementation of Approved Lists of Models & Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar PV modules and solar PV cells to September 30, 2020, which was earlier March 31, 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

With the objective of building energy security for the country and ensuring reliability of solar PV cells and modules, the ministry had issued an order in January last year regarding ALMM lists, providing for enlistment of models and manufacturers of solar PV cells and modules, complying with the BIS standards.

This mechanism proposed to have ALLM List-I specifying models and manufacturers of solar PV modules and List-II specifying models and manufacturers of solar PV cells.

The ALMM order stipulates that after effective date, all solar PV powerprojects which are government owned / government assisted / bid out as per central Government's Standard Bidding Guidelines, shall mandatorily procure solar PV cells and modules for such projects from the manufacturers approved and included in the ALMM lists.