CSIR-NPL Boosts India’s Quality Infrastructure With Two New Apex Calibration Facilities

India has taken another major step in strengthening its national quality infrastructure with the inauguration of two apex-level calibration facilities at the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory. The institution, which has served the country for eight decades, continues to play a central role as India’s National Metrology Institute. Its work has helped research laboratories, industries, municipal bodies, and strategic sectors maintain accurate measurements that support product quality, fair trade, environmental safety, and consumer protection.

One of the new facilities launched is the National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration. This centre has been created to give India a world-class system for testing the performance of reference solar cells and solar panels. It uses a laser-based Differential Spectral Responsivity Primary Reference Measurement System developed in partnership with PTB Germany. With this system, the short-circuit current of reference solar cells can be measured with an uncertainty of just ±0.35 percent at k equals 2. This level of precision is among the best in the world and places India in line with the top four laboratories under the World Photovoltaic Scale. This development completes the country’s own traceability chain for solar metrology and reduces the need for foreign calibration services. It will help Indian solar manufacturers save time and cost, receive calibration certificates based on local climate and dust conditions, and improve the global acceptance of Indian solar products. The facility is expected to support the growing domestic solar manufacturing sector, rooftop solar projects, export opportunities, and PLI-linked initiatives.

The second major facility inaugurated is the National Environmental Standard Laboratory. This laboratory has been set up to test and recalibrate instruments used for monitoring air pollution and environmental parameters. Earlier, much of this equipment was imported with certifications based on European or American climate profiles. These differences often affected the accuracy of long-term data in Indian conditions, which are marked by higher temperatures, humidity variations, and heavy dust loads. NESL now allows manufacturers, industries, and government agencies to validate their instruments within the country. This will make environmental data more reliable for the National Clean Air Programme, industrial emission checks, and smart city monitoring networks. The facility will also supply reference gases, protocols, and uncertainty evaluation services to ensure transparency and public trust in environmental monitoring.

Both new facilities are expected to benefit MSMEs, start-ups, and domestic manufacturers by lowering costs, meeting stricter quality norms, and addressing trade barriers. They were supported by financial grants from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. CSIR-NPL also highlighted its ongoing work in quantum standards, advanced materials, biomedical metrology, and maintaining Indian Standard Time. Together, these developments show the importance of accurate measurements in national growth and reflect CSIR-NPL’s commitment to supporting India’s technological and economic progress.