MNRE's New Model Number Rule for Solar Modules: Country-Coded Traceability

India has tightened how solar PV modules are identified for BIS registration. In a Standard Operating Procedure dated 1 October 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) now requires every module model number to carry a four-character country code that shows where the module and its solar cells are made. Existing registrations have 180 days to fall in line.

What has MNRE changed?

Solar PV modules were brought under mandatory BIS certification through the Solar Systems, Devices and Components Goods Order, 2025, notified by gazette on 27 January 2025. Under this Quality Control Order, modules must conform to the applicable Indian Standards and carry the Standard Mark under a BIS licence, with BIS acting as the certification and enforcement authority. MNRE later issued revised Guidelines for Series Approval of SPV Modules on 19 December 2025.

Until now, none of these rules fixed a specific format for the model number, so manufacturers were free to name their models as they wished. The new SOP, issued by MNRE's Standards and Quality Control Division, closes that gap. It introduces a standard, country-coded model number "to establish a clear, consistent and verifiable mechanism for traceability", and it applies to module manufacturers, to BIS, and to BIS-recognized test laboratories.

The new model number format

For every new registration or inclusion, the manufacturer must add a distinct four-character country identifier as a suffix to the existing model number. The suffix is built from two ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes:

• First two characters – the country where the solar PV module is manufactured.
• Next two characters – the country where the solar cells used in that bill of materials (BOM) are made.

So the model number follows the pattern Original Model Number-MMCC, where MM is the module manufacturing country and CC is the cell manufacturing country. This suffix becomes an integral part of the model number for BIS registration, certification, and all later identification of the model.

One model number cannot mix cell-origin countries

The SOP is strict about keeping cell origin unambiguous:

• If a manufacturer runs more than one BOM under the same original model, and those BOMs use cells made in different countries, each configuration needs its own country-coded model number. A single suffixed model number is not allowed to cover BOMs whose cells come from different countries.
• More than one cell manufacturer may be used under a model only if all of them are in the same country, and the approved BOM clearly identifies each cell manufacturer and the relevant cell details.

What existing BIS-registered models must do

The rule is not only for new products. Every model already registered with BIS has to create a corresponding additional model number carrying the four-character suffix. For each one, the manufacturer submits BOM details that restrict or separate the solar cells to the single country named by the suffix, filed through the existing BIS application and inclusion procedure.

Do you need to re-test? Often, no

This is the part that saves manufacturers time and money. Where creating the additional model number only involves deleting, restricting or separating cells that were already approved, with no addition or change to any BOM, component, material, manufacturing process or design, no fresh testing is required.

• The original test report is relied upon, subject to documentary verification of the revised BOM by the test laboratory.
• The laboratory issues a supplementary test report that refers back to the original report and carries the new model number and revised BOM.
• No testing fee is charged for such a supplementary report, though the usual marking and documentation charges may still apply.
• BIS then issues a revised certificate, or an addendum to the existing certificate, incorporating the new model number.

If, on the other hand, a new BOM is being added, the normal retesting, series approval and model-number guidelines apply as usual.

What the test laboratory will verify

Before issuing the supplementary report, the laboratory checks that:

• the module manufacturing location matches the first two characters of the suffix;
• the solar cell manufacturing country matches the last two characters;
• the cells in the BOM are made in only one country, exactly as the suffix states;
• the revised BOM introduces no new component, material, design change or process change that would require testing.

Along with the inclusion application, the manufacturer provides the original test reports, the revised BOM, the solar cell model number (except for thin-film modules), the name, address and country of each cell manufacturer, and a declaration that all cells under the suffixed model are made in the country shown by the last two characters.

Deadlines you cannot miss

The timelines are tied to the date the order was issued:

• Existing registrations: manufacturers must apply in time to create the country-coded additional model numbers and complete BIS registration within 180 days of the MNRE order. With the order dated 1 October 2026, that window runs to roughly the end of March 2027.
• After the 180-day point: every application for registration, inclusion or addition of a module model must follow the new format. BIS will not accept or process a new model that does not meet the model number and BOM requirements.

Once a country-coded model number is approved, it must be used consistently on the product label and marking, the test report, the BIS certificate, the module datasheet, and any other document where the model number is declared.

Why this matters for your business

• Origin is now readable: buyers, tender authorities and inspectors can see where both the module and its cells are made, directly from the model number.
• Cleaner DCR and local-content proof: separating cell origin at the model-number level makes domestic-content and "Make in India" claims easier to demonstrate.
• Documents change: labels, markings, datasheets and certificates all need to carry the updated model numbers.
• The clock is running: leaving the 180-day window late risks a period where new or updated models cannot be registered.

What solar manufacturers should do now

1. List every BIS-registered module model and each approved BOM under it.
2. Identify the module manufacturing country and the cell manufacturing country for every BOM.
3. Create the country-coded additional model numbers in the Original Model Number-MMCC format.
4. Split any BOMs that mix cell-origin countries into separate, clearly identified model numbers.
5. File the inclusion applications with BIS through your test laboratory, with the revised BOM and declaration.
6. Update labels, markings, datasheets and certificates to the new model numbers.
7. Track the 180-day deadline so no registration lapses.

This article is general information for solar businesses and is not legal or regulatory advice. The SOP, timelines and BIS procedures are set by MNRE and BIS and may be revised or clarified. Always verify current requirements against the official MNRE and BIS notifications, or consult a qualified advisor before acting.