Quality

India’s 500 GW renewable energy target by 2030 dominates every policy conversation. Capacity additions, auction pipelines, transmission corridors; these are the metrics that make headlines. But there is a quieter, less glamorous constraint that could undermine all of it: the country’s under-investment in testing and certification infrastructure for clean energy equipment.

Intertek Group plc (Intertek), a total quality assurance provider to industries worldwide, has acquired the assets of a state-of-the-art solar PV laboratory in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from Mitsui Chemicals India.

Researchers analyzed 16 years of data from over 1 million PV systems in Germany and found annual degradation is just 0.52–0.61%, roughly half prior estimates. Environmental factors like heat, frost, and air pollution affect performance, while smaller systems degrade less than larger ones, boosting long-term reliability and profitability.

Deep-tech startup Hbaromega has found exceptional compatibility of its advanced light beam induced current (LBIC) characterization technology for back contact (BC) solar cells with encouraging initial results. It said LBIC enables high-resolution analysis of carrier transport and defect localization in BC architectures.

The latest report from the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme says second-life PV modules have the potential to reduce waste and extend the value of solar assets, but their market today remains underdeveloped and requires advances in technical qualifications, scalable reuse infrastructure and supportive policy frameworks.

The world’s largest reinsurer has recently introduced stricter requirements for PV warranty insurance to further de-risk insured PV parks and set a higher benchmark for industry wide reliability and production quality.

GREW Solar has received Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) approval from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for 3 GW of G12R solar module manufacturing capacity at its Dudu facility in Rajasthan. The approved capacity comprises bifacial n-type TOPCon modules with efficiencies of up to 23.14%.

Chinese authorities are planning to implement a series of policy measures to introduce stronger intellectual property protection to the country’s photovoltaic sector. Chinese enterprises are being encouraged to accelerate technological advancements and reserve basic patents for developing technologies.

The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with high-precision testing equipment specifically designed to continuously test and evaluate solar PV modules and their components. The modules are subjected to extreme climatic conditions, simulating the stresses they will endure over their operational life.

Gautam Solar has announced that its 640 Wp R-Series TOPCon solar modules have received approvals from both the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).