IS 14286 explained: from the 2010 solar module standard to the 2023 IEC 61215-based series, with testing, costs and BIS registration

IS 14286 is the Indian standard for design qualification and type approval of terrestrial photovoltaic modules: the stress tests that show a solar panel can survive years outdoors. It is the Indian version of the IEC 61215 series, kept by BIS committee ETD 28^[1].

The plain number "IS 14286" (the 2010 edition) is no longer the standard BIS certifies new licences to. It was replaced in two steps by a multi-part series that keeps the number but is identical to IEC 61215:

• IS 14286:2010, corresponding to IEC 61215:2005, covered crystalline modules only^[4].
• 2019 editions split it into Part 1, Part 1 Sections 1 to 4 and Part 2; BIS shows these as withdrawn^[5].
• 2023 editions (third revision), identical to IEC 61215-1:2021, IEC 61215-1-x:2021 and IEC 61215-2:2021, are current^[1][3].

For BIS registration of solar panels today, the standards are IS 14286 (Part 1):2023 and the relevant section^[8]. We do not reproduce the standard's text; BIS sells it.

IS 14286 proves durability; IS/IEC 61730 proves electrical safety; inverters and batteries have their own standards. A module needs both IS 14286 and IS/IEC 61730^[8].

Check the edition, the section, the model, the bill of materials, the efficiency and the safety standard. The approval checker confirms what else applies.

The 2023 series has a general part, one section per module technology, and a test procedures part, all identical to the matching IEC documents under dual numbering.

Check that the BIS registration, not just a foreign certificate, names your exact model and the 2023 standards. Suppliers often send IEC 61215 certificates from foreign bodies or old Indian reports; a foreign IEC 61215 certificate on its own is not a BIS licence, because BIS registers on reports from BIS-recognised labs^[16].

• The edition. The licence and test report should cite IS 14286 (Part 1):2023 and the right section, not IS 14286:2010 or IS 16077:2013^[4].
• The model and wattage. Unregistered models cannot be imported or sold^[13].
• The bill of materials. Ask for the cell, glass, backsheet and junction-box list in the report and compare it with the shipment^[4].
• The efficiency page. Pmax, area and calculated efficiency must be reported^[4].
• The safety standard. IS/IEC 61730-1 and -2 should be on the same registration^[15].

Our guide to reading a BIS test report and the CRS documents list help.

By retesting representative models and applying through the Standard Revision module before the deadline; models left on the old standards are deleted from licences^[4].

The 2023 series replaced both IS 14286:2010 and the separate thin-film standard IS 16077:2013, and no new licence on the old standards was granted after 27 July 2025^[4]. Many supplier certificates and older tenders still quote the old numbers.

No amendment is listed. BIS lists none for IS 14286 (Part 1):2023^[1], and none but one corrigendum for the crystalline section^[2].

The 2025 order applies the latest version of each standard, with amendments notified by BIS, from the date of notification^[8], so a future amendment would apply to CRS without a new order. Watch the QCO tracker and new rules 2026.

Crystalline silicon and thin-film terrestrial PV modules, two of the five products in MNRE's 2025 solar order^[6]. Modules are imported under ITC(HS) 85414300, and loose cells under 85414200^[17].

Mono and poly crystalline panels use Section 1; CdTe, amorphous silicon and CIGS panels use Sections 2, 3 and 4^[12]. Part 1 applies to all of them^[4]. The 2023 series also adds rules for bifacial modules and tests for flexible modules^[4].

IS 14286 does not cover module safety (IS/IEC 61730)^[8], or inverters, which use IS 16221, IS 16169 and IS 17980^[8]. See solar inverters.

BIS's March 2025 guidelines describe the main changes from the 2010 edition, which show what labs now test^[4]:

• Structure. Part 1 sets general requirements, Part 1-x technology-specific ones and Part 2 defines the tests, all module quality tests (MQTs).
• Sampling rewritten.
• Two pass/fail gates: measured values against the nameplate, and power before and after stress.
• New and revised tests: hot-spot (MQT 09), insulation (MQT 03), stabilisation including boron-oxygen light-induced degradation (MQT 19), cyclic dynamic mechanical load (MQT 20), potential-induced degradation (MQT 21), bending for flexible modules (MQT 22), and junction-box weights during 200 thermal cycles (MQT 11).
• Retesting after design or material changes follows IEC TS 62915.

BIS requires series formation under clause 4 of IS 14286 (Part 1), with retests for bill-of-materials changes^[4].

What the two gates mean for a buyer. Under the 2023 series a module can fail before any stress test if its measured electrical values do not match the nameplate, and fail again if it loses too much power after the stress sequence^[4]. That makes nameplate accuracy a certification issue, not just a marketing one: a factory that rounds Pmax up on the label risks failing the first gate. The stabilisation test, including boron-oxygen light-induced degradation, also means labs need more time per sample than they did under the 2010 edition^[4], which is one reason test charges for the 2023 sections are roughly double the old ones^[10].

Far more than any other standard on this site: BIS's laboratory system lists Rs 7,30,000 to Rs 19,85,000 per 2023 section, excluding taxes, against Rs 7,00,000 to Rs 9,63,359 for the old 2010 edition^[10]. IS/IEC 61730 safety testing is extra.

Few labs do it: BIS's portal listed 9 laboratories for Part 1 and 10 for Section 1 on 1 November 2026^[9][2]. See BIS CRS test labs and BIS labs.

At least 18% for mono-crystalline and thin-film modules and 17% for poly-crystalline, calculated as Pmax / (1000 x module area) x 100 using IS 14286 values^[8]. Labs report Pmax, area and calculated efficiency^[4].

Worked example. A mono module with a measured Pmax of 400 W and an area of 2.0 m2 gives 400 / (1000 x 2.0) x 100 = 20%, above the 18% floor. The same 400 W on 2.3 m2 gives about 17.4%, below 18% for mono, so it cannot be licensed, though a poly module at that figure would pass the 17% floor^[8]. ALMM sets higher thresholds again, such as 20.0% for utility-scale crystalline modules^[19].

IS 14286 is applied through BIS Scheme-II (CRS)^[7]. The registration goes to the module manufacturer for each factory^[13]; foreign makers need an Authorised Indian Representative^[16], and only reports from BIS-recognised labs count^[16].

The 2010-to-2023 switch. Existing licensees had to retest representative models to the 2023 series and apply through the Standard Revision module; models still on IS 14286:2010 or IS 16077:2013 are deleted from licences after the deadline^[4]. Licences granted under the 2017 order stay valid, but fresh registrations and renewals use the 2025 order^[8].

The Standard Mark for modules shows IS 14286 (Part 1/Sec x)/IEC 61215-1-x, IS/IEC 61730-1 and -2 and the R-number^[4]. See BIS CRS and CRS labelling.

BIS's CRS fees are Rs 1,000 application, Rs 50,000 processing including one test report, and Rs 1,000 a year licence fee^[20]. Adding models costs Rs 30,000 including one report, plus Rs 20,000 per extra report^[20]. GST is extra^[20].

Worked example. A foreign crystalline-module maker registering one series with a Section 1 test at Rs 14,50,000^[10] pays Rs 1,000 + Rs 50,000 + Rs 1,000 in BIS fees, so about Rs 15,02,000 before IS/IEC 61730 testing and GST. A CRS licence is now granted for five years^[21]. See CRS fees and the CRS fee calculator.

ALMM List-I depends on a valid BIS registration; if BIS registration lapses, the model is deemed delisted^[19]. So IS 14286 certification is the entry ticket to ALMM.

ALMM modules are required for government, government-assisted, scheme, open access and net-metering projects^[22]. From 1 June 2026, List-I keeps only modules using ALMM List-II cells^[23], and List-III for ingots and wafers is set for 1 June 2028^[24].

Three details trip importers. The first List-II for cells was issued on 31 July 2025, and net-metering and open access projects commissioned before 1 June 2026 are exempt from the cell rule^[25]. A separate List-I(a) holds modules without List-II cells for exempted projects^[23]. And schemes such as PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar carry their own Domestic Content Requirement for cells and modules, separate from ALMM^[25]. None of this changes IS 14286 testing, but it decides whether a BIS-registered imported module can be used in a given project.

Yes. CRS registration is granted to the manufacturer for each factory, wherever it is^[13], and a foreign maker nominates an Authorised Indian Representative, which can be its Indian branch, the brand owner or another Indian entity^[16][26]. Samples must be tested in a BIS-recognised lab^[16], so allow for shipping modules to India and for lab queues at the handful of labs listed^[9].

ALMM is the harder gate for imported modules: from 1 June 2026 List-I keeps only modules using List-II cells^[23]. See the China import guide, the Vietnam guide and foreign manufacturers.

Modules for solar projects need REEIMS registration with MNRE before import, from 1 November 2025: free, valid three months and specific to one port^[17]. Producers must register under the E-Waste Rules and store solar waste up to 2034-35^[27]; see e-waste EPR. The BEE label is voluntary for modules^[28]. Check deadlines with the QCO deadline checker and the compliance cost estimator.

Five products, of which modules are two. MNRE's order, S.O. 492(E) of 27 January 2025, superseded the 2017 order, requires the listed standards and the Standard Mark under Scheme-II, exempts export goods and came into force 180 days after publication^[6]; BIS says it has been in effect since 27 July 2025^[11]. The other products include PV inverters, which use IS 16221 and related standards^[8].

The 2017 order it replaced had listed crystalline modules under IS 14286, thin-film under IS 16077, safety under IS/IEC 61730, power converters, grid-tied inverters and storage batteries^[18]. BIS is the certifying and enforcing authority, market surveillance is by BIS or agencies it notifies with MNRE, and breaches are punishable under the BIS Act^[8].

An installer imports 500 kW of mono modules from a foreign factory for net-metering rooftop projects.

1. The factory must hold a BIS registration covering the model under IS 14286 (Part 1/Sec 1):2023 and IS/IEC 61730^[15].
2. Net-metering projects need ALMM List-I modules^[22], which for rooftop crystalline modules means at least 19.5% efficiency^[19], higher than BIS's 18% floor^[8].
3. Because the modules are for solar projects, the installer registers on REEIMS at least 5 days before a sea shipment^[17].
4. Producer obligations under the E-Waste Rules apply to solar modules^[27].

Ask for a free compliance check if your shipment mixes modules and inverters.

Mostly old paperwork and silent design changes.

• Lab charges are what labs list on BIS's system, first page only^[10].
• The standards portal shows no Scheme-I licences against IS 14286 because modules are registered under CRS^[9]; we did not count CRS registrations.