With the nation’s goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030—including 280 GW from solar—effective energy storage solutions are essential for managing power generation and ensuring a stable energy supply.

BESS provides a range of benefits for integrating renewable energy, such as improving grid stability, enabling peak load management, enhancing the profitability of renewable energy investments, reducing renewable energy curtailment, supporting decentralised energy solutions, and providing fast-response operating reserves.

To support the development of quality infrastructure (QI) services for BESS, our team designed and co-facilitated a multi-stakeholder engagement initiative entitled “Improving Quality Infrastructure for Battery Energy Storage Systems”. This initiative aimed to identify the QI services required by the battery sector to ensure the sustainability, safety, and quality of BESS as well as to meet buyer expectations.

The process was carried out using the Calidena methodology, a participatory approach designed to strengthen QI in value chains through stakeholder collaboration. It involved interviews and meetings with QI institutions and sector organisations, along with background research and mapping of the BESS value chain to identify areas with the highest demand for QI services.

A two-day, in-person stakeholder workshop was conducted in India, where participants collaboratively assessed existing gaps and demands in QI services. The workshop also focussed on identifying priority areas for the development or expansion of QI services. In addition to strengthening specific QI services, the process also aimed to foster greater cooperation and coordination among national and international organisations.

The process culminated in the formulation of an action plan outlining subsequent activities and identifying organisations to be involved in the implementation phase. The implemented activities will support the improvement of laboratory testing facilities, address requirements for the End of Life management of BESS and close existing gaps in supporting standards and technical regulations in India.

The initiative was conducted on behalf of the German Metrology Institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

To overcome the existing challenges and to increase circularity, quality infrastructure (QI) services are required. Quality infrastructure is the system comprising the organisations, policies and regulatory framework required to support and enhance the quality and sustainability of a value chain. Quality infrastructure services to support circularity include, for example, the accreditation of laboratories used for testing the purity of recycled materials and the safety of modules for reuse, and the development of standards that are fit-for-purpose and internationally recognised.

Following on from a successful online preparatory workshop, in June 2024 our team facilitated a multi-stakeholder workshop in India with the aim of improving the QI services related to circularity in PV systems. To prepare the process, our team organised meetings and interviews with QI organisations and our partner organisation, the National Physical Laboratory of India (CSIR-NPL). Additionally, we researched relevant background information, and mapped the value chain.

Stakeholders from public and private organisations were identified and invited to collaborate. We asked international experts from German recycling and reuse startup companies, Solar Materials and Better Sol, to present the quality requirements and their methodologies. We also invited the Chief of Global Standards at Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), to describe the Sustainable Electronics Reuse & Recycling (R2) Standard.

Our team designed and facilitated a two day face-to-face workshop in New Delhi as part of a Calidena process, which included a visit to the CSIR-NPL laboratory to see first-hand their research in PV recycling. This collaboration resulted in the identification of gaps, definition of measures for improvement, and initiated a follow-up committee to guide implementation of the measures. An action plan is being developed to create the basis for a one-year follow up by the key stakeholders. The implemented activities will contribute to increasing awareness about the need for circularity in PV systems, improve the collaboration amongst key stakeholders and foster the QI services required.

The process was conducted on behalf of the German Metrology Institute, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), and funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Since 2013, Niels Ferdinand has been advising PTB on its project “Strengthening Quality Infrastructure for the solar industry” in India. As the key international consultant, he has been responsible for the project design definition of the main project components, together with PTB´s project coordinator. Niels continues to advise PTB  on the project strategies and facilitates ongoing contact with the project partners and stakeholders.

Picture: PTB

The project has achieved an improvement of the Quality Infrastructure services available to the photovoltaic sector.
Among them:

• Laboratories have improved their services on module testing and solar cell calibration.  
• International standards were adopted to the Indian standards system, making them available to the sector.  
• There is increased awareness of the importance on quality assurance in the Indian PV sector.  
• Finally, the project team has worked with financial institutions on the development of quality assurance mechanisms for Solar PV Projects – enabling an important leveraging effect.