Solar Panel Types Guide 2026: EPC Reference

What Panel-Type Selection Actually Gates in 2026

An EPC choosing a panel type in 2026 is not choosing between three cell chemistries on a datasheet. It is choosing a module that has to clear two separate, model-specific approvals before it can be delivered to most sites that matter commercially.

The first gate is ALMM List-I. MNRE's own rule is direct: only the models and manufacturers included in ALMM List-I are eligible for use in government projects, government-assisted projects, projects under government schemes and programmes, open access and net-metering projects installed in the country. "Government" is defined widely enough that it is rarely a way out — it covers central and state governments, central and state public sector enterprises, and central and state organisations and autonomous bodies. A PSU rooftop or an autonomous body's campus job sits inside this gate, not outside it.

The second gate is newer and tighter. ALMM runs two separate lists — List-I for modules, List-II for cells — and a module can sit on List-I while the cells built into it fail List-II. The first module list was issued back on 10 March 2021; the first cell-only list did not exist until 31 July 2025. Cell-level ALMM is barely a year old, and it is being revised fast: as of 28 July 2026, the module list in force is the 6 July 2026 edition, while the cell list has already reached its 8th revision, dated 22 July 2026.

The date that actually governs 2026 procurement is 1 June 2026, the deadline for mandatory sourcing of cells from ALMM List-II. Developers lobbied MNRE ahead of that date for a time-bound extension, citing limited operational TOPCon capacity and the risk of project delays. MNRE's answer, confirmed on its own ALMM page, was no blanket extension beyond 1 June 2026, subject only to protection of investments already made. In its place, MNRE opened a limited window running to 31 December 2026 specifically for commissioning net-metering and open access RE power projects — a hard date that now sits above the panel spec sheet in deciding whether a project lands on time.

This is why the order of operations in this guide runs procurement first, efficiency second. A module that beats its competitor on temperature coefficient by a few tenths of a point is worth nothing if the exact model isn't on the list the day the purchase order goes out.

The Panel Types an Indian EPC Can Actually Specify

Mono PERC — still buyable, increasingly a lower tier

PERC uses p-type silicon with a rear dielectric passivation layer that reflects unabsorbed photons back for a second pass, reaching 20–21.5% module efficiency. It remains the largest single technology in Indian shipments: TOPCon's share of new module shipments grew from under 5% in 2022 to about 35% in 2025, but Mono PERC still held roughly 60% of shipments in that same year, even while declining, and HJT stayed below 3%.

The catch is quality tier, not availability. Tier-1 international makers including LONGi, Trina and JA Solar have moved their default residential lines entirely to TOPCon, so new PERC at the same quality tier is often not purchasable at all from those brands anymore. And because PERC is p-type silicon, it carries the industry's characteristic first-year light-induced degradation (LID) risk that n-type technologies don't have — a cost that shows up in year-one performance, not on the price tag.

N-type TOPCon — the default new-build choice, and the tightest supply

TOPCon switches to n-type silicon and adds an ultra-thin tunnel oxide layer plus a doped polysilicon rear film, cutting surface recombination and lifting open-circuit voltage. The n-type substrate is also one reason it degrades more slowly than PERC. For 2026, that translates to 22–23.5% module efficiency, a temperature coefficient of -0.32%/°C, annual degradation around 0.4%/yr, at a 5–15% cost premium over PERC — a premium that has collapsed from 20–25% in 2023. At 2026 wholesale levels that puts TOPCon around $0.28–0.35/W against PERC's $0.25–0.30/W.

Compounded over 25 years, the gap widens: projecting from NREL's median degradation benchmarks, a 400 W PERC panel retains about 351 W at year 25, a TOPCon panel at the same starting rating retains about 362 W. Warranty terms follow the same physics — TOPCon warranties from LONGi and Jinko now guarantee 87–88% output at 30 years, a term genuinely longer than the 25-year PERC standard of 80–84%. N-type TOPCon is now the dominant product line across India's top manufacturers, and it's the preferred call for high-irradiance, high-temperature sites such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, precisely because it doesn't carry LID risk and holds up better in heat.

None of that solves the supply problem the ALMM List-II mandate itself created. Everyone wants TOPCon for its higher efficiency and output, and the cell-sourcing rule has tightened who can legally supply it, so the module is genuinely hard to get in mid-2026. Manufacturers expect that pressure to ease only as domestic cell capacity expands, with no date attached to when that happens. This is exactly why developers pushed for an extension in February 2026 in the first place — citing limited operational TOPCon capacity, potential project delays, a cell shortage, and a resulting price rise. Specify TOPCon expecting a lead-time conversation, not a next-week delivery.

Heterojunction (HJT) — the best silicon spec, the shortest domestic bench

HJT wraps an n-type wafer in thin amorphous-silicon layers on both sides, and that double-sided passivation is what gives it the best numbers in this comparison: 374 W retained at year 25 on a 400 W panel (against 362 W for TOPCon and 351 W for PERC), and warranties from REC and Panasonic reaching 90–92% at 25 years. It also carries the highest price, at $0.38–0.50/W, reflecting its more complex low-temperature manufacturing process.

The number that actually decides whether an Indian EPC can use it is ALMM availability, and it's thin: HJT panels have very limited ALMM listing in India as of 2026, which makes them largely ineligible for PM Suryaghar, since that scheme requires ALMM-listed modules. Vikram Solar's HJT line is one of the few domestic options, and it's positioned specifically for projects in extreme high-temperature locations rather than as a general-purpose spec. Before writing HJT into a BOQ for a subsidised or net-metered job, check whether the exact model is listed — the technology being excellent doesn't help if the SKU isn't on the register.

CdTe thin film — a different mounting system, not a drop-in silicon swap

First Solar's Series 7 combines cadmium telluride thin-film technology with a larger form factor and a back rail mounting system for utility-scale PV. The FT1 variant is the fixed-tilt product positioned for the India market, alongside the tracker-oriented TR1 sold in the USA — relevant to any EPC doing ground-mount without trackers. Series 7 carries no power loss from LID or LeTID at all, and because CdTe isn't tied to standard silicon cell or wafer dimensions, First Solar builds it as a 1216 mm x 2300 mm module, a size and mounting geometry that changes row spacing and structure counts against a conventional silicon BOQ. Specifying it means redesigning the mechanical layout around that format, not substituting it panel-for-panel into an existing silicon racking plan.

Perovskite-silicon tandem — real, but not a 2026 procurement option

Tandem PV opened a 65,000 sq ft perovskite-silicon demonstration factory in Fremont, California in April 2026, with roughly 40 MW of annual nameplate capacity, and has reported internal testing results of 29.7% efficiency for its panels. Both figures need the same caveat: 40 MW a year is a demonstration line, not a volume an EPC procures gigawatts from, and 29.7% is the company's own internal testing, not a certified module rating under standard test conditions. Tandem belongs on the radar for where silicon efficiency ceilings are heading; it does not belong on a 2026 BOQ.

The ALMM Calendar Every EPC Needs on the Wall

• 10 March 2021 — first ALMM List-I for solar PV modules issued.
• 31 July 2025 — first ALMM List-II for solar PV cells issued, more than four years after modules.
• 17 February 2026 — developers formally asked MNRE for a time-bound extension to the List-II cell-sourcing deadline, citing limited TOPCon cell capacity and a looming price rise.
• 17 March 2026 — MNRE amends the ALMM order to extend the same domestic-content approach one step further up the chain, to wafers.
• 1 June 2026 — mandatory deadline for sourcing solar cells from ALMM List-II; MNRE confirmed no blanket extension beyond this date, only case-by-case protection of investments already committed.
• 6 July 2026 — the module list (List-I) edition currently in force was published.
• 22 July 2026 — List-II for solar cells reaches its 8th revision.
• 31 December 2026 — the outer edge of the limited commissioning window MNRE granted for net-metering and open access RE power projects in place of a blanket List-II extension.

Requests for a commissioning time-extension beyond 1 June 2026 go through the DCR Portal, and MNRE separately re-opened the NISE DCR Portal for applications on protection of investments already made under ALMM List-I, under MNRE O.M. No. 283/63/2025-GRID SOLAR dated 25 May 2026. Neither of those windows is guaranteed to still be open by the time you read this — check current status before telling a client relief is available.

What to Lock Down Before the Next BOQ Goes Out

• Re-verify the exact model number at purchase-order stage, not at quotation stage. A manufacturer can hold ALMM status for one wattage of a model and not for a newly launched higher-wattage variant of the same line, and each published List-I edition carries its own start and end date — a list you downloaded months ago may already have expired.
• Match the ALMM label code on the panel to the registry entry, character for character, at goods-inward. This is where counterfeit or substituted stock gets caught before it's installed, not after.
• Never split a substitute model across the same string as the originally specified one. Mixing technologies, or even different models of the same technology, on one string inverter causes mismatch losses — a real risk the moment a delisting forces a mid-project swap.
• Check the lender's module criteria, not just ALMM, before finalising the BOQ. IREDA's module acceptance criteria typically require IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certification, ALMM listing, and often a minimum field deployment history, and some lenders keep their own bankable-manufacturer lists stricter than ALMM. ALMM is the floor, not the financing ceiling.
• Build in a re-quotation contingency for anything not yet ordered. Delisting mid-project makes modules already quoted but not yet ordered non-compliant overnight, forcing a redesign and re-quotation cycle — plan the schedule buffer for that possibility rather than discovering it at the DISCOM inspection.
• Treat TOPCon lead times as a live supply constraint, not a quoted delivery date, given the List-II mandate is squeezing exactly the technology most EPCs now default to.

Standards, Capacity and the Numbers Behind the Choice

Two certification layers sit underneath ALMM and apply regardless of which technology gets specified. The Bureau of Indian Standards requires PV modules to comply with IS 14286, covering crystalline silicon terrestrial modules and applying across Mono PERC, TOPCon and HJT alike. Internationally, IEC 61646 and IEC 61215 were merged so a single qualification standard now covers all flat PV technologies, while IEC 61730 sets the minimum design requirements for module safety. The revised standards also added creepage and clearance distance requirements so modules can safely operate at the higher system voltages the market has moved toward — relevant wherever a BOQ pushes string voltages up to cut BOS cost.

On the supply side, the domestic manufacturing base an EPC actually buys from is concentrated. India's largest manufacturers by ALMM-listed capacity as of late 2024 were Waaree Energies at 11.91 GW, Adani Solar at 4 GW, Vikram Solar at 2.6 GW, EMMVEE at 2.59 GW, Premier Energies at 2.5 GW and Goldi Solar at 2.4 GW. ALMM-listed capacity specifically means the production volume MNRE has verified as domestically manufactured and traceable — it is not the same figure as a manufacturer's total nameplate capacity, and the gap between the two is where supply risk actually lives. One EPC procurement guide describes the list as updated quarterly with annual renewal required to demonstrate continued domestic manufacturing compliance; MNRE's own published edition dates tell a faster story than quarterly, so treat "quarterly" as unreliable and rely on the annual-renewal point instead.

Globally, the technology shift has already gone further than India's shipment mix: TOPCon reached about 65% of silicon solar cell production in 2024, up from around 20% in 2022, while PERC fell from about 80% to about 20% and HJT held near 8%. That is a production-share figure for the world, not India's shipment share — India was still shipping roughly 60% PERC through 2025 — so the two numbers describe different markets and shouldn't be blended into one trend line.

ALMM listing is model-specific rather than technology-specific — Mono PERC, TOPCon and HJT can all be listed — and it is mandatory for government-subsidised project categories including PM Suryaghar and PM-KUSUM, on top of utility-scale SECI tenders. That eligibility is a binary gate tied to the specific model number, not the manufacturer's name, which is exactly why re-checking the SKU at order time, rather than trusting the brand, is the discipline that avoids a stalled disbursement. On the design-checking side, we built Reslink to run this check automatically: it flags every equipment selection against the MNRE ALMM approved list in real time at the design stage, so a non-listed module surfaces before the design is finalised and before procurement happens, rather than at a DISCOM inspection months later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Does ALMM List-I apply to every solar project in India, or only certain categories?

It applies to a specific, broadly defined set of categories: government projects, government-assisted projects, projects under government schemes and programmes, open access projects, and net-metering projects. "Government" itself is defined widely — central and state governments, central and state public sector enterprises, and central and state organisations and autonomous bodies all count. A purely private, non-net-metered captive installation sits outside this specific rule. Anything touching central government financial assistance, SECI bid awards, or PM-KUSUM components falls inside it.

Q2. What's the actual difference between ALMM List-I and List-II?

List-I covers solar PV modules and has existed since 10 March 2021. List-II covers the cells inside those modules and only started on 31 July 2025 — a much newer and thinner list. A module can be on List-I, the module approval, while its cells fail List-II, the cell approval, which is precisely the gap that started biting hard from 1 June 2026, the deadline for mandatory cell sourcing from List-II.

Q3. Can EPCs still buy Mono PERC panels in 2026?

Yes, but increasingly at a lower quality tier. Mono PERC still accounted for roughly 60% of Indian module shipments in 2025, so volume is not the problem. The issue is that Tier-1 international manufacturers such as LONGi, Trina and JA Solar have moved their default residential product lines entirely to TOPCon, so buying new PERC at the same quality tier those brands used to offer is often no longer possible. Domestic Indian manufacturers still carry PERC in their range, but the same manufacturers have largely shifted their headline product to n-type TOPCon.

Q4. Is HJT usable for PM Suryaghar rooftop projects?

Rarely, as of 2026. PM Suryaghar requires ALMM-listed modules, and HJT panels have very limited ALMM listing in India this year. Vikram Solar is one of the few domestic manufacturers offering an HJT line, positioned for extreme high-temperature sites rather than as a general residential spec. Before quoting HJT for any subsidised residential job, check the specific model against the current ALMM List-I — limited listing is not the same as zero listing, but it narrows the field sharply.

Q5. Why is TOPCon supply tight in 2026 when it's the technology everyone wants?

Because the ALMM List-II cell mandate and TOPCon demand collided at the same moment. Developers, EPC contractors and rooftop installers all prefer TOPCon for its higher efficiency and output, but the List-II rule restricts who can legally supply the cells that go into it, squeezing the module supply. Developers lobbied MNRE in February 2026 for a time-bound extension, citing limited operational TOPCon capacity, a cell shortage and a resulting price rise, but MNRE confirmed no blanket extension beyond 1 June 2026. Manufacturers expect the pressure to ease as domestic cell capacity expands, with no firm date attached to that expectation.

Q6. How often does the ALMM list actually change, and what does that mean for procurement?

More often than many EPCs assume. As of 28 July 2026, the module list (List-I) in force was the 6 July 2026 edition, and the cell list (List-II) had already reached its 8th revision, dated 22 July 2026 — a faster cadence than the quarterly figure some procurement guides cite. Each published List-I edition also carries its own explicit start and end date, so a list downloaded even a few months ago may have already expired. The practical rule is to re-check the exact model number against the current list at the moment of the purchase order, not at the moment of the customer quotation.

Q7. Is CdTe thin film or perovskite tandem a realistic option for Indian EPCs right now?

CdTe is a real, shipping product — First Solar's Series 7 FT1 is specifically positioned as a fixed-tilt module for the India market, with no LID or LeTID loss and a non-standard 1216 mm x 2300 mm format that requires its own mechanical layout rather than a drop-in swap into an existing silicon racking design. Perovskite-silicon tandem is not yet a procurement option: Tandem PV's Fremont facility, opened in April 2026, runs at roughly 40 MW of annual nameplate capacity, a demonstration scale, and its reported 29.7% efficiency is the company's own internal testing rather than a certified module rating.

Q8. What lending criteria apply on top of ALMM listing?

ALMM listing is a floor, not the full bankability bar. IREDA's module acceptance criteria typically require IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certification, ALMM listing itself, and often a minimum number of years of field deployment history for the specific model. Some lenders also maintain their own "bankable manufacturer" lists that are stricter than ALMM, meaning a newly ALMM-listed model with no field track record can still be rejected by project finance even though it clears the regulatory gate. Check the financier's specific criteria before the BOQ is locked.

Sources

• MNRE — Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM)
• MNRE — Notice for the 01.03.2026 List-I edition
• Mercom India — Domestic solar cell supply under strain as demand for TOPCon modules surges
• Mercom India — Developers seek ALMM List-II extension, solar manufacturers push back
• TÜV Rheinland — How to achieve the revised IEC 61215/IEC 61730
• First Solar — Series 7
• pv magazine USA — Tandem PV launches commercial perovskite-silicon manufacturing in California
• Accelerate Solar — TOPCon vs HJT vs PERC solar panels
• Reslink — Best Aurora Solar alternative for solar EPCs in 2026