Only domestically manufactured solar cells will be eligible for use under mandatory local sourcing category: MNRE

Solar photo-voltaic cells that are predominantly domestically manufactured will be the only ones eligible to be used under the mandatory local sourcing category according to a statement from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

“It may be noted that a number of flagship programmes of MNRE such as KUSUM, have provisions for mandatory use of domestically manufactured solar PV cells. However it was seen that some manufacturers have been importing semi –processed solar PV cells (generally called blue wafer) and making final Solar PV cells with little value addition in India,” an official statement said.

“The Ministry has clarified that if diffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Blue Wafer’) is imported and the same is used as raw material for the manufacture of solar PV cells in India, such solar PV cells shall not qualify as domestically manufactured solar PV cells, for the purpose of MNRE’s Schemes / Programmes. A solar PV cell shall be considered to be domestically manufactured only if the same has been manufactured in India, using undiffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Black Wafer’),” the statement said.

It is expected that this decision will help in establishing a strong solar manufacturing base in India, the statement added.