What ALMM actually covers
ALMM is maintained by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and enumerates specific model numbers, wattages and manufacturing capacities, not just brand names. List-I covers solar PV modules. List-II covers solar PV cells, which brings the upstream cell into scope so that a module assembled in India from non-listed cells does not automatically qualify. A model that is absent, expired or suspended on the list at the date of installation is non-compliant even if the same manufacturer has other listed models.
Which projects must comply
| Project type | ALMM required? |
|---|---|
| PM Surya Ghar residential rooftop (subsidised) | Yes — subsidy is withheld without it |
| Government / PSU tenders and CPSU schemes | Yes |
| Net-metered rooftop under most DISCOM regulations | Yes, in practice — the DISCOM checks at inspection |
| Open-access and PPA projects with government offtake | Yes |
| Fully private off-grid captive with no incentive | Generally not mandated, but check the state circular |
The commercial risk
Non-compliance is discovered at DISCOM inspection, after the modules are on the roof. The realistic outcomes are subsidy denial, a refused net meter, or a full module swap at the EPC's cost — which on a 5 kW job is roughly ₹1,50,000 of hardware written off.
A five-step check before you order
- Take the exact model number from the datasheet — not the series name — and match it against the current List-I entry.
- Confirm the wattage variant is listed; manufacturers frequently list 540 Wp but not the 545 Wp variant of the same series.
- Check the listing validity date covers your expected installation date, not just the order date.
- Where cell-level enforcement applies, confirm the cell source against List-II.
- Keep the ALMM extract, BIS certificate and IEC test reports in the project file — DISCOM inspectors ask for all three.
How SolvSolar checks it automatically
When an installer picks a module in the SolvSolar Bill of Materials, the proposal carries the exact model, wattage and warranty term as structured data rather than free text, so the compliance evidence pack matches the design that was quoted. Because the BOM is editable per proposal, a module substitution forced by supply constraints is captured on that specific proposal — the client-facing PDF and your internal record never drift apart. Always re-verify the model against the live MNRE list at order time; the list is amended through the year.