National Institute of Solar Energy

What National Institute of Solar Energy does

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is an autonomous research institute under India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), established as the technical focal point for the National Solar Mission launched in 2010. Headquartered on a 200-acre campus at Gwal Pahari, Gurugram, Haryana, NISE operates six core divisions — Solar Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, Solar Resource Assessment, Advanced Solar Cell Characterization, Hydrogen Energy, and Technical Consultancy — alongside a PV Module, Systems & BOS Testing laboratory holding NABL accreditation (ISO/IEC 17025) for IEC 61215, IEC 61730, IEC 61701, and PID testing. Its technology stack spans the full solar value chain: crystalline silicon and thin-film PV characterization, parabolic trough collectors and linear Fresnel reflectors, green hydrogen electrolyser research, and the country's largest solar radiation measurement network (60+ stations across 28 states/3 UTs, with BSRN membership and WRR-traceable calibration). NISE also houses the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Secretariat on campus.

NISE serves as the implementing agency for flagship MNRE schemes — ALMM, PLI, Suryamitra, PM-KUSUM, Solar Resource Assessment, and the Green Hydrogen Testing Scheme — and delivers training through the Suryamitra skill development programme and the SNA (State Nodal Agency) network. It administers the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) and the Solar DCR portal, which serve as mandatory compliance channels for solar manufacturers seeking Indian market access. Customers include solar PV manufacturers (for type approval and BIS/NABL certification), state governments and SNAs (for scheme execution), international ISA member countries (for technical consultancy), and trainee cohorts — though the underlying funder and decision-maker is MNRE. Recent strategic expansions include hydrogen mobility partnerships (Toyota Kirloshar MoU, December 2025), grid integration research (ISGF MoU, January 2026), and floating solar potential assessments.

NISE operates as a non-commercial government institute: revenue is derived entirely from MNRE budget allocations and programme-specific grants rather than market-priced services. Testing fees follow government fee schedules, and a commercial radiometer calibration mode was launched in 2017. As a registered society under the Haryana Society Registration and Regulation Act, 2012, NISE does not have private shareholders or venture capital backing. Governance is via a 19-member Governing Council headed by the Secretary, MNRE (4th reconstitution dated September 2024), with Dr. Mohammad Rihan serving as Director General since April 2024 on deputation from Aligarh Muslim University.

Name

National Institute of Solar Energy

Legal name

National Institute of Solar Energy

Website

https://nise.res.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is an autonomous government institute under India's MNRE providing solar energy testing, certification, R&D, and skill development services. It administers the ALMM regulatory regime, operates India's largest solar radiation network, and serves as the technical anchor for national solar and green hydrogen missions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Energy Research and Testing Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Energy Asset O&M (Wind, Solar, Hydro, Geothermal) (EUAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN), Electrical Testing & Certification (Protection Relays, Switchgear, Transformers) (EUAEAHAG)

Keywords

• Solar energy research
• Photovoltaic testing services
• Solar resource assessment
• Hydrogen energy research
• Solar skill development

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Budget Allocation and Programme Funding: NISE is fully funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, through annual budget allocations. It receives separate programme funds for scheme implementation (ALMM, PLI, Suryamitra, PM-KUSUM, SRA, Green Hydrogen Testing Scheme). Revenue is non-commercial — derived from budgetary grants rather than product/service sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is an autonomous research institute under India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) that delivers NABL-accredited solar PV and battery testing and certification, solar resource assessment and radiometer calibration, solar thermal and hydrogen energy R&D, and the Suryamitra skill development programme. It also administers the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) for solar modules and provides technical consultancy to government, industry, and ISA member countries.

Product overview

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) operates as a multi-divisional research institute under India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, offering testing, certification, R&D, and skill development services. The core offerings include: the Solar Photovoltaic Division for PV R&D and performance testing; Solar Thermal Division for CSP technologies; PV Module, Systems & BOS Testing (NABL-accredited); Solar Resource Assessment Division managing India's 111+ solar radiation stations; Advanced Solar Cell Characterization Laboratory; Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen Energy; and Technical Consultancy Division. Supporting these divisions are specialized portals including Testing Service Portal, Suryamitra Portal, Solar DCR Portal, and E-Wizard Portal. The institute also runs the Suryamitra Skill Development Program for training solar technicians nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar PV Module, Systems and BOS Testing

Quantifiable outcome

• India's ground-mounted solar PV potential assessed at 3,343 GWp — more than 4x the 2014 estimate of 748.98 GWp (2025 NISE report)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026NISE and ISGF signed an MoU on January 16, 2026 to collaborate on technical and knowledge-led initiatives in solar energy grid integration and grid modernisation. Focus areas include grid integration of solar, smart inverters for distributed energy resources (DERs), rooftop solar with battery storage, solar forecasting, and capacity building. The collaboration aims to enable evidence-based solutions and standards adoption to support India's long-term renewable energy and grid modernisation goals.
• Toyota Kirloshar MotorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025NISE and Toyota Kirloshar Motor signed an MoU in December 2025 for a two-year field trial of the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) Mirai across India's diverse road conditions — including heat, dust, traffic congestion, and varied terrain. The initiative aims to advance India's clean energy transition, generate data for scaling up hydrogen mobility nationwide, and align with India's 'panchamrit' climate goals. Minister Pralhad Joshi drove the Mirai to Parliament to showcase the technology.
• Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft (BSW) and Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023BSW (Germany's solar industry association) and SCGJ signed an MoU in February 2023 to place at least 20 Indian Suryamitra solar technicians in Germany's solar sector, which was facing a shortage of over 100,000 workers. Three years later, no Indian workers had migrated under the agreement due to German migration law changes, qualification recognition hurdles, and language barriers. Germany's federal government subsequently discontinued rooftop solar subsidies.
• IIT BombaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Bombay for collaboration on solar energy research, development, and consultancy activities. IIT Bombay contributed to the development of NISE's 1 MW solar thermal power plant combining parabolic trough collector and linear Fresnel reflector technologies.
• SEPA (Sustainability and Energy Practitioners Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SEPA — Sustainability and Energy Practitioners Association — to collaborate on sustainability and energy practitioner initiatives.
• MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MeitY for collaborative initiatives in areas of mutual interest related to solar energy and digital technologies.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE campus houses the ISA Secretariat. NISE provides technical consultancy and training services to ISA member countries and coordinates ISA programme activities from its Gurugram campus. NISE staff are associated with consultancy projects for ISA member countries and ISA skill development initiatives.
• Thermax Limited, PuneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE collaborated with Thermax Limited Pune on the design, development, and demonstration of solar cooling systems in various configurations, and on the solar-biomass hybrid cold storage project for remote village electrification.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE collaborated with TERI on the solar-biomass hybrid cold storage project for remote villages, providing both rural electrification and cold storage facilities.
• CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Mrinal Dutta worked at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi (2017-2020) as a Ramanujan Fellow, contributing to nanomaterials and solar cell research. CSIR-NPL is listed among NISE's collaborative research connections.
• AFCUBEED Private LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE collaborated with Australian company AFCUBEED Private Limited to install and demonstrate a solar desalination system at the NISE campus for performance evaluation under Indian conditions.
• SunBorn Energy Technology Private LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNISE collaborated with SunBorn Energy Technology Private Limited on the design, development, fabrication, testing, and optimisation of heliostats, central cavity receiver, and thermal energy storage for modular central receiver concentrated solar power systems.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D. Directly comparable to NISE as a government-funded national lab conducting solar PV/solar thermal R&D, testing, certification, and resource assessment. Both operate as the technical arm of their respective national renewable energy ministries.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Germany's leading solar energy research institute, conducting applied research across PV, solar thermal, hydrogen, and grid integration with accredited testing facilities. Highly comparable to NISE in technology scope (PV cell/module R&D, solar thermal CSP, hydrogen, certification) and operates with similar government/industry blended funding.
• Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS): Singapore's national solar R&D institute (where NISE Deputy DG Dr. Jai Prakash previously headed the Silicon PV Module Technology group). Operates solar cell characterization, PV testing, and industry-oriented R&D with direct applicability to NISE's Advanced Solar Cell Characterization Laboratory and PVTFL operations.
• Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI): Indian government autonomous institute for renewable energy research based in Gujarat, where NISE Director Dr. Siva Reddy previously served as Principal Scientist. Highly comparable as a domestic Indian solar thermal and renewable energy R&D peer with similar ministry linkages (MNRE-adjacent) and testing capabilities.
• CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL): India's national metrology institute under CSIR, where NISE Deputy DG Dr. Mrinal Dutta previously worked as a Ramanujan Fellow. Comparable as an Indian government scientific institution providing standards, calibration (NISE's SRCal uses NIST-traceable sensors), and metrology services underpinning solar measurement infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• TUV Rheinland India: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant with extensive solar PV module testing operations in India. Comparable to NISE's PVTFL on the testing and certification side — both offer IEC 61215/61730 accredited testing — but operates as a commercial entity serving broader industries beyond solar.
• UL India (Underwriters Laboratories): Global safety certification body offering PV module UL/IEC testing services with significant India operations. Direct competitor to NISE's commercial testing services and represents the private-sector alternative to NISE's NABL-accredited PV testing for manufacturers seeking Indian market access.
• DNV (Energy Systems): Global energy certification and testing firm providing solar PV module testing, plant performance assessment, and technical due diligence. Comparable to NISE's Technical Consultancy Division and testing functions; serves as a private-sector alternative for international bankability certification.
• Bureau Veritas India: International testing, inspection, and certification company with India operations across energy infrastructure including solar. Overlaps with NISE on PV testing and energy asset certification but as a commercial, multi-industry TIC provider rather than a dedicated solar-focused national institute.

Emerging players

• PI Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin: Independent German solar testing laboratory specializing in PV module quality testing, bankability studies, and failure analysis. Comparable to NISE's PVTFL on quality benchmarking, EL imaging, and root-cause analysis; represents the specialized independent testing model that competes for commercial testing contracts outside government-mandated ALMM flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nise-gurgoan
• Xx.com/Nise_Gurgaon
• Facebookfacebook.com/NiseGurgaon

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Institute of Solar Energy