The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released an Office Memorandum proposing a standardized naming system for Solar PV Cell models listed under the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) List-II. The proposal aims to create a uniform method for identifying solar cell models, making it easier to track their technical specifications and improve transparency across the solar manufacturing supply chain.

At present, solar cell manufacturers use their own naming conventions for products, resulting in different formats across the industry. According to the Ministry, this variation makes it difficult to identify important technical characteristics of solar cells in a consistent manner. To address this issue, MNRE has proposed a 14-digit alphanumeric code that will serve as a unique identifier for every enlisted solar cell model under ALMM List-II.

Under the proposed format, the first three characters of the code will indicate the geographical origin of the raw materials used in manufacturing the solar cell. The first position will identify the origin of the wafer, the second will represent the ingot origin, and the third will specify the source of the polysilicon. This information is expected to help distinguish modules listed under ALMM List-I and ALMM List-I(a) based on their Bill of Materials (BOM).

The next part of the code will capture key technical details of the cell. Positions four and five will identify the cell technology using abbreviations such as Mono PERC (MP), TOPCon (TC), Heterojunction (HJ), and Back Contact (BC). Positions six to nine will indicate the wafer size, including formats such as M10, M10R, G12, and G12R. Positions ten and eleven will specify the number of busbars in the cell, while the final three characters will be reserved for a manufacturer-specific identifier to represent product variants, revisions, or brand details.

MNRE has also shared examples of the proposed coding system. A model code such as DDFTCG12R16R01 represents a TOPCon solar cell manufactured using a domestic wafer and ingot with imported polysilicon, a G12R wafer size, 16 busbars, and a manufacturer-specific revision. Another example, FFFMPO0M1010ABC, represents a Mono PERC cell manufactured using foreign-sourced polysilicon, ingot, and wafer, with an M10 wafer size and 10 busbars.

The Ministry believes that the standardized nomenclature will simplify the ALMM List-II enlistment process while providing a common product identification system for regulatory, commercial, and operational purposes. MNRE has invited stakeholders to submit their comments and suggestions on the proposal via email to Scientist ‘C’ Mohd Azmal Mansoori by August 13, 2026.