ALMM List-II and Solar Cells (2026): What Businesses Must Know Before 31 December

Quick answer: MNRE's office memorandum of 18 July 2026 lets net metering and open access solar projects commissioned on or before 31 December 2026 keep using the cell supply already in the market. Projects commissioned from 1 January 2027 must use solar cells made by a manufacturer on ALMM List-II. The date that counts is commissioning, not the order date, so a factory planning rooftop solar this quarter has less time than the calendar suggests.

Most business owners know that solar panels need to come from an approved list. Fewer know that the list now reaches inside the panel, down to the cell. That change has a hard date attached, and it lands at the end of this year. Here is what it means for a commercial or industrial rooftop, in plain terms.

First, what ALMM actually is

ALMM stands for the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, maintained by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It has two parts:

A solar panel is really two products stacked together: the cells, and the glass, frame, backsheet and wiring that protect them. A panel can be assembled in India from cells made elsewhere. List-II is about where those cells come from.

The cell is the part you never see on the roof, and from 2027 it is the part the rules care about most.

What changed on 18 July 2026

The cell requirement was originally due to apply from 1 June 2026. MNRE's office memorandum of 18 July 2026 gave net metering and open access projects a limited extension, not a removal:

• Commissioned on or before 31 December 2026: may continue with the cell supply chains already in the market.
• Commissioned from 1 January 2027: cells must come from an ALMM List-II manufacturer.

MNRE was clear that this is relief for these two project types only, not a blanket extension for the wider solar sector.

Why the commissioning date is the one that matters

A rooftop plant is not commissioned the day the last panel is fixed. After installation comes DISCOM inspection, the net metering agreement and the bi-directional meter. In Telangana that stage alone commonly takes 2 to 5 weeks, and 30 to 60 days end to end is realistic for a straightforward project. Larger commercial systems with more approvals can take longer.

Work backwards from 31 December and the real decision window for a plant that wants to use current cell supply is much closer to now than to December. A plant that slips into January simply has to meet the List-II rule, which changes what can be supplied and how it is priced.

Five checks before you sign a solar order

1. Ask for the target commissioning date in writing, with the DISCOM steps included, not just the installation date.
2. Ask which cells are inside the modules being quoted, and who made them. A module brand name is not an answer to this question.
3. If commissioning could fall in 2027, ask for List-II cells now, so the plant is compliant whichever side of the date it lands.
4. Check the module is on ALMM List-I and keep the model number on the purchase order, so what arrives on site matches what was approved.
5. Get a price breakdown that shows the module line separately, so you can see how the cell choice affects the quote.

Frequently asked questions

Does this affect plants that are already running?

No. The rule applies to projects by their commissioning date. A plant commissioned before the cutoff is not asked to change its cells later.

Does it apply to home rooftop systems under PM Surya Ghar?

The subsidy scheme already requires domestically manufactured modules with domestic cells, so most home buyers using the subsidy are on the domestic supply chain anyway. This memorandum matters most for commercial and industrial net metering and open access projects.

Will List-II compliant systems cost more?

Panels with domestically made cells have generally been priced above those using imported cells, and the gap moves with the market. The honest way to compare is a quote that names the cell maker and lists the module cost on its own line.

Could the date move again?

The trigger has already moved once, from 1 June 2026 to 31 December 2026, and MNRE described this as limited relief. Planning on a further extension is a gamble; planning for compliance is not.

Based on MNRE's office memorandum of 18 July 2026. Rules are set by MNRE and can be revised; confirm current ALMM status on mnre.gov.in before you commit. Current as of October 2026.

Planning a factory rooftop this year?

Greentek has built solar for Indian industry since 1997. Our team will tell you, project by project, whether commissioning before 31 December is realistic and what a List-II compliant plant would look like if it is not, before you sign anything.