RFID Tag for Solar Modules in India: MNRE Field List, ALMM List-II Cells and the 2027 Cut-off

Short answer: An RFID tag for a solar module is a UHF tag laminated inside the glass, encoded with the module's identity and test data. MNRE's PM Surya Ghar rooftop specification lists the fields: module and cell makers, month, year and country of origin for cells and module separately, the I-V curve, wattage, Im, Vm and FF, serial and model number, and IEC certificate date and lab. Most net-metering and open-access projects commissioned after 31 December 2026 need ALMM List-II cells, so a line changing cell supplier must change the cell fields.

Written for production and quality heads at Indian module makers moving lines onto List-II cells, and for the EPCs and rooftop installers who receive those modules.

What changes for net-metering and open-access projects on 1 January 2027?

MNRE's Office Memorandum No. 283/53/2026-GRID SOLAR of 18 July 2026 ruled out a blanket extension of ALMM List-II, the approved list of solar PV cell makers, but gave net-metering and open-access projects a window: they may commission without List-II cells until 31 December 2026, instead of the earlier 31 May 2026. Projects commissioned after that must comply. PV Tech reported the memo on 20 July 2026.

List-II itself has been in force since 1 June 2026, as TaiyangNews reported that day; the same report says List-I covers approved module makers and a List-III for ingots and wafers is due from 1 June 2028. MNRE's clarification No. 283/54/2026-GRID SOLAR of 4 August 2026 sets out who gets the window:

The net-metering and open-access exemption applies whether a project began before or after 18 July 2026 and needs no application on NISE's solar Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) portal. ALMM orders, it adds, do not relax DCR rules in any MNRE scheme. Both memos were on MNRE's current notices page in early October 2026.

What must an RFID tag for a solar module carry?

The clearest current national text is in MNRE's operational guidelines for the "CFA to Residential Consumers" component of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, notified in June 2024. Annexure 3, its rooftop technical specification, says at clause 1.11 that modules must use an RF identification tag laminated inside the glass, and lists what it must hold. The rooftop guideline of the Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency (MANIREDA), based on MNRE Operational Guidelines No. 5/22/2013-14/RT of 18 September 2015, carries nearly the same list. The last column is our reading of what moves when cell supply changes.

Clause 1.13 says serial, model, maker, manufacturing year, Make in India logo and wattage should also be displayed inside the laminated glass, so label and tag should agree. Clause 1.1 requires domestic modules with domestic cells for the subsidised scheme, so modules built for it should already show India as cell origin.

Inside the laminate, or on the frame?

Every specification we opened puts the tag under glass. MNRE's updated solar water pumping specification, listed as dated 22 March 2023, places it inside the glass laminate (clause 3.3.11), and clause 3.8 makes indigenous modules with indigenous cells mandatory for pumps under MNRE schemes. MANIREDA says inside the laminate too. At least one supplier's web page says the tag can sit inside or outside the laminate; none of these documents says so. If your tender is silent, get the buyer's answer in writing before choosing a frame-mounted tag.

Which tag fields change when a line moves to ALMM List-II cells?

• Cell maker. MNRE's 9th revision of ALMM List-II, dated 21 August 2026, lists each enlisted maker with plant address, enlisted capacity, cell type and models, efficiency and wattage range, and a validity period. Encode the maker as enlisted, and check each cell lot falls inside that validity.
• Cell month and year. Take them from the cell lot, not the module date; the two can differ.
• Cell country of origin. India for List-II cells, kept separate from module origin.
• Model number. If one module ships in imported-cell and domestic-cell builds through December, separate model numbers let an EPC tell them apart without reading user memory. First check that any new model number is covered by your BIS registration and ALMM List-I enlistment.

Leave room for a cell code. On 3 August 2026 MNRE invited comments, by 13 August, on a standardised 14-character model code for List-II cells (F. No. 283/59/2026-GRID SOLAR). Positions 1 to 3 mark wafer, ingot and polysilicon origin as D (domestic) or F (foreign); 4 and 5 the technology (MP, TC, HJ, BC); 6 to 9 wafer size; 10 and 11 busbar count; 12 to 14 the maker's own. One of MNRE's two examples is DDFTCG12R16R01. The memo says cell origin, taken from the bill of materials, would distinguish List-I from List-I(a) modules. It was a draft, so check for the adopted form before encoding it.

How much tag memory does the field list need?

About 60 bytes on our example map below, which rules out some chips. Alien's Higgs-3 page lists 800 bits: a 96 to 480-bit EPC or up to 512 bits of user memory, plus a 64-bit TID. Impinj's M700 series specification table gives the M750 a 96-bit EPC and 32 bits of user memory, and the M781 512 bits. An M750 tag carries a serial, not the field list.

512 bits is 64 bytes. Put the module serial in the EPC and the rest in user memory. No document we opened sets a byte layout, so agree one with your buyer; this map is our planning example, not a standard.

Full company and lab names will not fit, so supply a code table with the tags. The I-V curve is the hard field: 20 points of 2-byte current and 2-byte voltage need 80 bytes, more than the whole user bank. Agree in writing whether the buyer accepts summary values plus a reference to your flasher record.

Which solar module RFID tag: in-laminate inlay or frame strip?

The store lists two solar SKUs, both at Rs 8 per tag ex-tax.

• UHF RFID Solar TAGS (ID-9640). A 98 × 12 mm UHF inlay on rolls, 860–960 MHz, minimum order 1,000, which the listing says can be laminated onto the panel and supplied pre-encoded and printed with serials. The ID-9640 base listing names an H3 (Higgs-3) chip with 512 bits and offers label, wet-inlay and dry-inlay formats. The listed −20 to 80 °C rating is for operation, not a laminator cycle; for use under glass, specify a PET inlay, not paper-faced.
• RFID Solar Panel Tag 0894-U9. An 8 × 94 mm strip on UV-stable PET with outdoor adhesive, −40 to +85 °C, reading up to 5 m frame-mounted, listed with an Impinj M750. Use it for field retrofits and O&M registers, not where a spec demands an in-laminate tag, and treat it as an EPC-and-serial tag.

Qualify before release: run the tag through your real lamination recipe, then your own damp-heat and thermal-cycling checks, and measure read range on the framed module. The aluminium frame, cell metallisation and ribbons all detune a UHF antenna, so trial positions in the margin between cell string and frame, away from the junction box. Identium has built and run MNRE-format tag encoding on a working module line and can run that trial with you.

Where should encoding happen: before lamination or after the flash test?

The tag goes in at layup, but electrical values exist only after the flasher, so encode in two passes.

1. Before layup: serial and static fields. Order pre-encoded rolls, or encode in-house. The IT4RL Desktop RFID Printer and Encoder (Rs 1,35,000 ex-tax) prints and encodes UHF labels at up to 6,000 an hour, and its Labelsoft software takes data from Excel, MySQL, SQL or text files, so printed serial and encoded EPC come from one record. Read every tag after layup and again after lamination: a dead tag under glass cannot be replaced.
2. After the flash test: electrical data. Write Pmax, Im, Vm, FF and the agreed I-V data through the glass beside the flasher, read back, then lock. The 120L UHF Desktop Reader (Rs 28,000 ex-tax) has adjustable RF power, so it can be turned down to write only the module in front of it, and ships with a bulk Excel import and encoding utility.
3. Reconcile. Match one EPC to one serial in the production record, and hold any module that fails read-back before packing.

For wider shop-floor tracking, see our guide to RFID for manufacturing WIP tracking.

How do EPCs and inspectors check module tags on site?

At goods receipt, read EPCs pallet by pallet and match them to nameplate serials and delivery documents. Cell maker and origin sit in user memory, so check the handheld app reads it.

• CX1000 UHF handheld: Rs 30,000 ex-tax, Android 12, reads up to 6 m, free SDK and demo app.
• ID-SL15 UHF sled reader: Rs 38,999 ex-tax; clips to a phone or tablet over Bluetooth 5.2, so teams use their own app; made in India, IP54.

Order handhelds in India's 865–868 MHz configuration. The band is licence-exempt under G.S.R. 853(E) of 10 December 2021, at up to 2 W e.r.p., and readers still need WPC Equipment Type Approval. Tag bands as listed: ID-9640 860–960 MHz, 0894-U9 865–868 MHz.

What do the rules not say about RFID and ALMM List-II?

• No MNRE memo we opened says List-II compliance will be checked by reading module tags.
• The 14-character cell code was a draft for comment.

So the tag is not, on the public record, a List-II compliance check. But where a spec requires cell maker, date and origin on the tag, those fields must describe the cells actually in that module and agree with your invoices. While imported-cell modules can still go into net-metering and open-access projects commissioned by 31 December 2026, a correct cell-origin field also lets dispatch keep the two kinds of stock apart.

This is not legal, regulatory or certification advice. Check the current MNRE memoranda and your own tender specification before acting.

What does an RFID tag for a solar module cost, and what should you order?

At Rs 8, tags for 10,000 modules come to Rs 80,000 before GST; volume, pre-encoding and printing change that, so treat it as a list-price reference, not a quote. Before the first production order:

1. Get the tag clause and field list from the buyer's spec, in writing.
2. Agree the byte layout, code tables and how the I-V field is met.
3. Confirm the chip's user memory on the datasheet for your sample batch.
4. Run lamination, damp-heat and thermal-cycling trials, and test read range on a framed module.
5. Keep imported-cell and domestic-cell builds distinguishable, with separate model numbers only if your BIS and ALMM paperwork covers them.
6. Check each cell lot's maker and validity against the current List-II revision.

Identium Tech Solutions has made RFID hardware in New Delhi since 2010. Send us your module format, lamination stack and line rate, and we will propose a tag, placement and encoding station. Indicative volume rates are on our bulk RFID pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Is an RFID tag mandatory on solar modules in India?

It depends on the specification you supply to. MNRE's PM Surya Ghar rooftop specification requires an RF identification tag laminated inside the glass of every module, and MNRE's solar pump specification also puts the tag inside the glass laminate. Other tenders set their own terms, and your order's spec governs.

What data goes on a solar module RFID tag?

Under the PM Surya Ghar specification: module and cell makers, month and year of manufacture and country of origin for cells and module separately, the I-V curve, wattage, Im, Vm and FF, serial and model number, and the IEC certificate date and lab. Your buyer's spec may add fields.

When do net-metering projects need ALMM List-II cells?

Under MNRE's memos of 18 July and 4 August 2026, net-metering and open-access projects commissioned after 31 December 2026 must use List-II cells; earlier ones are exempt, except government-building rooftop projects awarded through bidding, which go by bid date. List-I modules are required either way. PM Surya Ghar "Give It Up" rooftop cases are exempt until 31 March 2027.

Can the full I-V curve be stored on the tag?

Not in 512 bits (64 bytes) of user memory alongside the other fields: twenty points of current and voltage alone need 80 bytes. Store the summary values plus a few key points or a reference to the flasher record, and agree that method with the buyer in writing.

Is ALMM List-II compliance checked by reading the module tag?

No MNRE memo we have read says so; the List-II memos deal with commissioning dates, project categories and bid dates. Where a spec requires cell maker, date and origin on the tag, those fields must still match the cells actually used, so update them when cell supply changes.

How much does a solar panel RFID tag cost in India?

Both solar tags on the store, the in-laminate ID-9640 and the frame-mounted 0894-U9, are listed at Rs 8 per tag ex-tax; the ID-9640 has a 1,000-piece minimum. Pre-encoding, printing and volume change the rate, so ask for a quotation on a full production run.