Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in India issued a new regulation, explicitly stating that only solar photovoltaic (PV) cells manufactured locally using undiffused silicon wafers (also known as “black wafers”) will meet the domestic manufacturing standards for inclusion in its relevant programs.
According to the regulation released by MNRE, PV cells based on crystalline silicon technology must simultaneously satisfy two conditions: being manufactured in India and using undiffused silicon wafers, to be recognized as domestically manufactured products. The department emphasizes that all steps and processes involved in manufacturing PV cells, from the use of undiffused silicon wafers to wafer processing and cell manufacturing, must be completed within India.
If imported diffused silicon wafers (commonly referred to as “blue wafers”) are used as raw materials to manufacture PV cells in India, such cells will not be considered domestically manufactured products by MNRE and thus will not be eligible for preferential policies for domestically manufactured products in relevant programs or projects.
Currently, MNRE is in the process of developing the normative standards for including domestically manufactured solar cells in the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM). It is expected that the ALMM List II for solar cells will be officially implemented from June 1, 2026. Simultaneously, the department has also released a draft application form for solar cells to apply for inclusion in the ALMM, soliciting opinions and suggestions from various stakeholders.
Furthermore, MNRE has clearly stated that thin-film solar PV modules manufactured in integrated factories in India are eligible for application in its relevant programs or projects, but they must also meet the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) clause, which specifies that domestically manufactured solar PV cells must be used to produce domestically manufactured solar PV modules.
