India Unveils Global-Top Labs for Environment and Solar Cell Standards

The National Environmental Standard Laboratory provides India-specific calibration and certification of air pollution monitoring equipment — a long-standing gap in the country’s environmental data ecosystem.

In a landmark boost to India’s scientific and technological leadership, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the world’s second National Environmental Standard Laboratory and the world’s fifth National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration at CSIR–National Physical Laboratory (NPL) during its 80th Foundation Day celebrations.

The new facilities elevate India to an elite global league in environmental governance, solar metrology, and precision measurement science, supporting national goals in clean energy, climate action, and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

A Major Leap in Environmental Governance

The National Environmental Standard Laboratory provides India-specific calibration and certification of air pollution monitoring equipment — a long-standing gap in the country’s environmental data ecosystem.

The facility will:

• Ensure traceable, accurate and transparent air-quality measurements

• Certify instruments under Indian climatic conditions

• Support the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

• Improve compliance for industries and regulators

• Enable startups working in climate-tech and environmental sensing to trust local standards

Dr. Singh said the lab represents a “major leap in environmental governance,” enabling India to set its own measurement benchmarks rather than depend on foreign systems.

Elite Global Status in Solar Metrology

The National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration, developed in collaboration with PTB Germany, positions India among global leaders in photovoltaic measurement.

The laser-based Differential Spectral Responsivity (L-DSR) system achieves the lowest global calibration uncertainty — 0.35% (k=2) — and will:

• Reduce reliance on foreign certification agencies

• Save foreign exchange

• Speed up calibration turnaround times

• Strengthen investor confidence in India’s booming solar sector

• Offer world-class standardisation to manufacturers and innovators

Dr. Singh called it a “future-ready facility” that strengthens India’s solar manufacturing ecosystem and enhances global competitiveness.

NPL: A Legacy Institution Driving India’s Scientific Future

The Minister hailed CSIR–NPL as a “monument of India’s scientific journey,” dating back to pre-Independence and mentored by national icons like Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

He highlighted NPL’s historic role in maintaining Indian Standard Time (IST) via its atomic clocks— a function essential for national security and critical infrastructure, including GPS-denied scenarios.

Boosting Collaboration With Industry and MSMEs

Dr. Singh emphasised that India’s scientific institutions, despite limited budgets, possess tremendous intellectual and infrastructural capital that should be opened to:

• Industry

• Startups

• MSMEs

• Private R&D ecosystems

This shift, he said, reflects the government’s drive to integrate science with economic development, innovation pipelines, and national ambitions for Viksit Bharat.

New BNDs and Tech Transfers Strengthen Quality Ecosystem

At the event, NPL and CSIR-CIMAP launched:

• 14 phytochemical Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BNDs)

• 2 gas BNDs

• 1 silica fume BND

These strengthen India’s metrological traceability, quality assurance, and standards ecosystem. Several MoUs and technology transfer agreements were also signed to support indigenous manufacturing.

Call-to-Action: Opportunities for Climate-Tech, SolarTech and Deep-Tech Innovators

These new national-standard facilities create major opportunities for:

• Solar cell and module manufacturers

• PV efficiency-tool developers

• Air-quality sensor and IoT solution providers

• Emissions monitoring startups

• Environmental data analytics platforms

• Precision metrology instrument makers

• Semiconductor and photonics research labs

• Materials and green energy innovators

With world-class standards now available domestically, early adopters can reduce costs, validate technologies faster, and accelerate deployments across clean energy, climate innovation, and deep-tech R&D.