Certification is the least interesting part of a storage project and one of the more common reasons a project stalls. Equipment arrives without the right registration; a tender bid is disqualified on a documentation gap; a lender’s technical adviser asks for a certificate nobody obtained.
None of that is difficult to avoid. It just has to be dealt with early, because testing takes weeks and cannot be compressed at the end.
The three standards that matter most
IS 16270 covers solar storage batteries. BIS certification for solar storage batteries is mandatory under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS). The current version is IS 16270:2023, which supersedes IS 16270:2014 — worth checking, because certificates against the older version are not the same thing.
IS 17092 applies to general stationary battery energy storage systems — the system-level standard rather than the pack-level one.
IS 17387:2020 sets general safety and performance requirements for battery management systems: the electronic systems that monitor and control battery packs in operation. It is derived from IEC 62619 and other international references, and it covers electrical safety, thermal safety, environmental conditions, electromagnetic compatibility and functional safety.
That last standard is often the one buyers have not heard of, and it is increasingly the one that matters. The BMS is the layer that keeps cells inside their safe window, and it is a recognised failure point — the reason it appears in both insurance questionnaires and, now, in India’s CEA technical standards as a named component.
How certification actually works
Testing must be carried out at BIS-recognised laboratories, or at internationally accredited laboratories that hold an agreement with BIS. The process typically takes six to twelve weeks.
That timeline is the practical planning point. Six to twelve weeks is not long in a project schedule if you start early and is fatal if you discover the requirement during customs clearance. Certification belongs on the procurement critical path from the beginning.
International certificates — IEC, UL, and the fire-testing standards we cover in BESS safety standards explained — are genuinely valuable and often required alongside. But they do not replace Indian registration where registration is mandatory.
Why this has become a commercial issue, not just a legal one
Compliance with IS 17387 is increasingly required by state-level procurement specifications and by financiers funding BESS projects.
That changes the calculation. Certification used to be a compliance box that sat with the supplier. Now it can determine whether you qualify for a tender at all, and whether a lender’s technical adviser signs off — which connects directly to the documentation questions in how lenders look at a storage project.
It also affects insurance. Underwriters price uncertainty, and evidence of testing against recognised standards is close to a threshold requirement rather than a bonus.
A practical checklist
Before equipment ships, confirm:
- Which standard each certificate is against, and which version — IS 16270:2023 rather than the 2014 edition.
- Which laboratory issued it, and that the laboratory is BIS-recognised or holds a BIS agreement.
- What exactly was certified — cells, pack, complete system, or BMS. These are different scopes and a certificate for one is not a certificate for another.
- Validity dates, and whether re-testing is due within your project timeline.
- Whether your tender or lender requires anything beyond the mandatory minimum, because many now do.
Then check it against the acceptance test regime in FAT, SAT and commissioning — certificates prove the design was tested, while acceptance tests prove your specific units perform.
What this means for you
- If you are a developer: put certification on the procurement critical path, not the closing checklist. Six to twelve weeks of laboratory time cannot be compressed at the end of a project.
- If you are a C&I buyer: ask your supplier for the certificates by standard and version, and check the scope covers the whole system rather than only the cells. This is a reasonable request and a supplier who cannot answer it quickly is telling you something.
- If you are bidding a tender: read the qualification requirements for standards compliance before pricing. Disqualification on documentation is the most avoidable way to lose a bid — see how to bid a BESS tender and the eligibility checklist.
- If you want to see how we do it: our systems are built and tested against these standards at our manufacturing facility, and our team can share the applicable documentation for a specific product — get in touch.
Standards, mandatory registration requirements and certification procedures change by notification, and standard versions are periodically revised. Treat this as an August 2026 snapshot and verify the current applicable standards and their versions with BIS and with your tendering authority before relying on this.