ALMM List-II Exemption Extended to Dec 2026: What It Means

If you sell rooftop solar or commercial power plants in India, one government memo just changed how you should quote every net-metering and open access project for the rest of 2026. On 18 July 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) gave your customers a limited window: net-metering and open access renewable energy projects can now commission with an exemption from ALMM List-II (solar PV cells) until 31 December 2026. After that, the mandate bites.

Key takeaway. MNRE's O.M. dated 18 July 2026 extends the ALMM List-II (solar cell) exemption for net-metering and open access renewable energy projects to 31 December 2026, up from the earlier 31 May 2026 cut-off. Projects commissioned after 31 December 2026 must source cells from ALMM List-II and modules from ALMM List-I. The List-I module rule already applies, so only the cell requirement is paused.

This is not a blanket relaxation, and it is easy to misread. This guide breaks down exactly who the window covers, what "commissioned" means for the deadline, what List-II compliance does to your bill of materials, and the one test to run on every quote you send between now and December.

What MNRE changed on 18 July 2026

MNRE decided against a blanket extension of ALMM List-II, but carved out a limited transition window for two project categories. Net-metering projects and open access renewable energy projects can now commission with an exemption from ALMM List-II (for solar PV cells) until 31 December 2026. The earlier dispensation for these categories ran only till 31 May 2026, per reporting by Business Standard, so this is a fresh seven-month runway.

The background matters. Per para 8 of MNRE's O.M. no. 283/59/2024-GRID SOLAR dated 09.12.2024, reiterated on 28.07.2025, all net-metering and open access RE projects commissioned on or after 1 June 2026 had to source modules from ALMM List-I and cells from ALMM List-II. Then, vide O.M. No. 283/63/2025-GRID SOLAR dated 25 May 2026, MNRE confirmed there would be no blanket extension beyond 1 June 2026, subject to protecting investments already made. The 18 July memo supersedes that thread of orders and hands these two categories a hard December stop. MNRE had earlier notified the ALMM order amendment bringing List-II for cells into force, as recorded by the Press Information Bureau, and the latest extension was reported across industry press including Business Standard.

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, strengthening domestic solar manufacturing remains a key policy priority, and the extension is meant to give manufacturers time to increase sourcing of ALMM List-II cells as domestic capacity expands. For your EPC, the practical read is simpler: there is now a dated finish line, and the projects you scope today may land on either side of it.

ALMM List-I vs List-II: modules, cells, and why the split matters

ALMM stands for Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, MNRE's compliance register for government-linked and net-metered solar. It comes in two parts, and this policy only touches one of them.

ALMM List-I covers solar modules (the finished panels). ALMM List-II covers solar PV cells (the wafers inside those panels). A module can be on List-I while the cells inside it come from a manufacturer that is not yet on List-II. The 18 July window pauses the List-II (cell) requirement for net-metering and open access projects, but the List-I (module) requirement is unchanged and still mandatory.

The full ALMM list explainer walks through how a model gets enlisted and how DISCOM (Distribution Company) inspectors check it. For this policy, the one distinction to burn into memory is modules versus cells, because that is the exact line the exemption draws.

Who the exemption covers, and who it does not

The window is narrow by design. It applies to net-metering projects and open access renewable energy projects, and nothing else. If a project does not fall in one of those two buckets, this memo does not change its ALMM obligations.

Net-metering is the arrangement most rooftop customers use: the meter runs both ways, and exported units offset imported units on the DISCOM bill. Open access lets a large consumer buy renewable power from a third-party generator over the grid, common for factories and warehouses drawing high loads. Both categories now share the same 31 December 2026 cell-exemption finish line.

There are also earlier carve-outs that still stand. Projects where the bid was submitted on or before 31 August 2025 were treated as exempt regardless of commissioning date, and MNRE had opened a case-by-case route for delayed projects, where modules are installed but commissioning is pending, through the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE DCR portal). These carve-outs are documented in industry analysis such as TaiyangNews. If you have a stuck project from that batch, check whether it already qualifies before you assume the December window is your only lever. When you scope a new deal today, the PM Surya Ghar and net-metering rules together decide which panels and cells you are allowed to install.

The 31-December Commissioning Test

Here is the one framework to run on every net-metering and open access quote you send for the rest of 2026. Call it the 31-December Commissioning Test: three checks that tell you, in under a minute, whether a deal can use non-List-II cells or must be scoped for full ALMM compliance.

1. 1

   Is it net-metering or open access?

   If yes, the December window applies. If it is a government-subsidised or utility-scale category with different terms, this test does not cover it, check that scheme's own ALMM rules.

2. 2

   Will it commission on or before 31 December 2026?

   Work backwards from DISCOM commissioning, not from your installation date. If the honest answer is "maybe", treat it as a December-plus project and scope List-II cells now.

3. 3

   Are your panels on List-I and your cells sortable by List-II?

   Modules must be List-I today. Ask your distributor which of your panel SKUs use List-II cells, so you can switch a late-commissioning project without re-quoting the customer.

Run those three questions and every quote sorts itself into one of two piles: "commission before December, cell source is flexible" or "will land in 2027, price it with List-II cells". The second pile is where margins get squeezed if you promised a cheaper non-List-II panel, so flag it at quote stage, not at DISCOM inspection.

What "commissioned" actually means for this deadline

The deadline is about commissioning, not about when you install the panels, so the definition decides who makes the window. A project is commissioned when the DISCOM energises the connection and net-metering or open access is live, not when your team bolts the last module to the roof.

That gap is where EPCs get caught. You can finish a 20 kW commercial install in December, but if the DISCOM inspection and meter change slip into January, the project commissioned after 31 December 2026 and now needs List-II cells. The approval sequence, feasibility to installation to commissioning, is the real timeline you are racing.

To protect the window, treat DISCOM approval as the bottleneck it is. Our DISCOM approval process guide and the feasibility clearance primer show where applications typically stall. If you want to see realistic timelines for the meter and inspection stages, the net-metering application walkthrough lays out the DISCOM steps state by state.

What ALMM List-II compliance does to your project cost

List-II cell capacity is real and growing, which is why MNRE set a hard date rather than another open-ended pause. India's enlisted ALMM List-II cell capacity crossed 30 GW by 30 April 2026, reaching over 30.3 GW at the seventh revision, per TaiyangNews, up from 26 GW in February 2026 and 23.7 GW in December 2025, per PV-Tech. As supply widens, the price gap between List-II-compliant panels and cheaper imported-cell panels narrows, but for now it still shows up in your bill of materials. You can track the current enlisted models on the ministry's current notices page as each revision is published.

The point is not that List-II panels are unaffordable. It is that a project you quoted in July with non-List-II cells, then commissioned in January, becomes non-compliant and needs a panel swap at your cost. That is the same trap EPCs hit with non-ALMM inverters, and it is expensive. Build the assumption into your pricing before the customer signs.

For the full breakdown of where panels, inverters, and balance-of-system sit in a job, see the solar installation cost breakdown and the 100 kW system price guide. Remember that GST on solar panels stacks on top of any List-II premium, so quote the landed cost, not the ex-works number.

Net-metering vs open access: two different clocks

Both categories share the 31 December 2026 cell-exemption date, but the projects behave differently, so your sales motion should too. Net-metering deals are usually smaller, faster to commission, and more likely to make the window comfortably. Open access deals are larger, slower, and carry more approval risk.

Common ALMM deadline mistakes EPCs make

Most of the pain from this policy is self-inflicted, and it comes from confusing installation with commissioning or forgetting the List-I rule. Here are the traps worth naming before they cost you a panel swap.

1. 1

   Counting from install date, not commissioning

   A December install with a January DISCOM meter change misses the window. The energisation date is what MNRE counts.

2. 2

   Assuming the exemption covers modules too

   It does not. List-I modules are mandatory today. Only the List-II cell requirement is paused.

3. 3

   Quoting a January project with cheaper non-List-II cells

   If commissioning lands in 2027, that BOM is non-compliant and you eat the panel swap. Price List-II from the start.

There is a decision to make here, and it is worth weighing openly rather than defaulting.

How QuickEstimate fits

The ALMM window rewards EPCs who can quote fast, track which projects are racing the December deadline, and switch a BOM without re-quoting the customer from scratch. That is a data problem as much as a policy one, and it is exactly where a mobile-first solar CRM earns its keep. With QuickEstimate, Rohit's sales team quotes a net-metering rooftop in 60 seconds, tags its commissioning target, and sees at a glance which open access jobs are at risk of slipping past December, without a single spreadsheet.

• Proposal Generator, send a branded, subsidy-ready PDF in 60 seconds and note the panel model on every quote.
• Quotation System, swap a BOM to List-II-compliant panels and regenerate the quote in seconds when a project slips past the window.
• Pipeline Management, see which projects are racing the 31 December deadline and which have DISCOM approvals pending.
• WhatsApp Follow-up, chase the customer sign-off and DISCOM documents that decide whether you commission in time.

If your leads come from Facebook, IndiaMART, or your website, Lead Capture pulls them in automatically so nothing waiting on a December commissioning slips through. Want to see it on your own pricing? Book a QuickEstimate demo and quote a live net-metering project in the call.

What to do this week

The window is real but short, and the projects you scope in the next few days are the ones most likely to make or miss it. Take these three steps before Friday.

1. Audit your open pipeline. List every net-metering and open access project that is not yet commissioned, and mark each with an honest commissioning target date. Anything landing in January 2027 or later gets re-scoped for List-II cells now.
2. Confirm your panel sources. Ask your distributor which of your panel SKUs are on ALMM List-I today, and which use List-II cells. You want at least one List-II-compliant option ready before you need it.
3. Add a commissioning field to your quote. Whether you use QuickEstimate or a template, capture the target energisation date on every quote so nobody promises a cheaper non-List-II BOM on a project that will commission in 2027.

Do that, and the 18 July memo becomes a margin opportunity instead of a compliance surprise. For the wider compliance picture, keep the ALMM list explainer and the kWp basics handy when you brief your sales team.

Sources and references

Every date, deadline, and capacity figure in this guide is drawn from the following primary and industry sources. Verify the latest position against the ministry directly before you commit a customer's bill of materials, since ALMM lists are revised regularly.

• MNRE O.M. 283/53/2026-GRID SOLAR (18 July 2026), the office memorandum announcing the ALMM List-II exemption window, as a downloadable PDF.
• MNRE, Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), the ministry's official ALMM page and policy home.
• MNRE Current Notices, where each ALMM List-I and List-II revision and office memorandum is published.
• Press Information Bureau, MNRE amendment bringing ALMM List-II for solar PV cells into force.
• Business Standard, reporting on the 18 July 2026 extension to 31 December 2026 and the earlier 31 May 2026 cut-off.
• TaiyangNews, ALMM List-II enforcement from 1 June 2026, bid-date carve-outs, and enlisted cell capacity (30+ GW, seventh revision).
• PV-Tech, ALMM List-II cell-capacity growth timeline (23.7 GW to 26 GW).
• NISE DCR Portal, National Institute of Solar Energy portal for ALMM-related applications and case-by-case extensions.
• PM Surya Ghar National Portal, current subsidy and ALMM conditions for residential rooftop.

Frequently asked questions

What did MNRE change about ALMM List-II on 18 July 2026?

MNRE extended the ALMM List-II (solar PV cell) exemption for net-metering and open access renewable energy projects to 31 December 2026, up from the earlier 31 May 2026 cut-off. It is a limited transition window, not a blanket extension. Projects in these two categories commissioned on or before 31 December 2026 can still use non-List-II solar cells. After that date, cells must come from ALMM List-II and modules from ALMM List-I.

Does the ALMM exemption cover solar panels or only cells?

Only cells. ALMM List-I (solar modules) remains mandatory today for net-metering and open access projects. The 18 July 2026 window pauses only the ALMM List-II requirement, which covers solar PV cells, the wafers inside the panels. So your panels must already be on List-I, while the cells inside them can be from a non-List-II source until the December deadline.

Which projects qualify for the ALMM List-II exemption?

The exemption applies to net-metering projects and open access renewable energy projects. It does not automatically extend to every solar category. Government-subsidised residential rooftop under PM Surya Ghar and utility-scale procurement have their own ALMM conditions, so confirm the specific scheme's rules before you commit a panel or cell brand to a customer.

What happens to projects commissioned after 31 December 2026?

Net-metering and open access renewable energy projects commissioned after 31 December 2026 must source solar PV modules from ALMM List-I and solar PV cells from ALMM List-II. If you install a project in 2026 but the DISCOM energises it in 2027, it falls under the mandatory rule and non-List-II cells make it non-compliant, which can force a panel replacement at the EPC's cost.

Does "commissioned" mean installed or grid-connected?

Grid-connected. For this deadline, a project is commissioned when the DISCOM energises the connection and net-metering or open access goes live, not when the panels are installed. That is why you should plan backwards from DISCOM commissioning, not from your installation schedule, since the gap between the two is where projects miss the window.

How much does ALMM List-II compliance add to project cost?

It depends on the panel and the day's market, but List-II-compliant panels have carried a modest premium over imported-cell panels. On a 100 kW system where panels are roughly 45 percent of cost, even a ₹1.5 per watt module premium adds about ₹1.5 L to the job. As India's enlisted List-II cell capacity crossed 30 GW by April 2026 (TaiyangNews), that gap is expected to narrow over time.

Is there any exemption for projects bid before the deadline?

Yes. Projects where the bid was submitted on or before 31 August 2025 were treated as exempt regardless of commissioning date, and MNRE had opened a case-by-case route for delayed projects, where modules are installed but commissioning is pending, through the National Institute of Solar Energy portal. If you have a stuck project, check whether it already qualifies before relying only on the December window.

How should EPCs quote projects during this window?

Run the 31-December Commissioning Test on every net-metering and open access quote: confirm the category, estimate an honest commissioning date, and know which of your panels use List-II cells. Projects commissioning on or before 31 December 2026 can use non-List-II cells, while anything expected to slip into 2027 should be priced with List-II cells from the start to protect your margin.