We provide turnkey RFID solutions for solar panels — tracking and identification of panels from the assembly line to the power grid using UHF RFID tags. Our solar panel RFID scope covers work-in-progress tracking on silicon PV and thin-film assembly lines, including integration of the RFID controller that writes sun-simulator data into the tag attached to each panel.
Manufacturing succeeds on the effective, efficient use of its resources. Monitoring work in progress at regular intervals, with speedy and reliable data collection, is what lets a facility run at optimum capacity and keep its processes visible at every level. We know the manufacturing process flow end to end, and we deploy RFID for event-driven data capture that directly supports production management.
Where RFID fits in solar panel manufacturing
- Work-in-progress tracking — each panel is identified at every stage of the silicon PV or thin-film line, so production status and history are visible in real time.
- Flash-test data on the panel itself — we integrate flash testers and sun simulators with RFID reader-writers, writing test data into the panel’s tag during manufacturing in line with MNRE guidelines.
- Lamination-proven tag selection — we have tested and benchmarked various tag types for performance through lamination, and for read variation across tag and reader orientations, so you start with a tag that is known to survive your process.
- Line automation at any scale — reader controllers are available in USB, industrial Ethernet, TCP/IP, Profibus, DeviceNet, RS232 and RS485 configurations, with hubs and gateways for multi-reader assembly-line deployments.
- Panels in the field — the same embedded identity supports tracking and identification of panels installed in power grids, for warranty, audit and O&M needs.
MNRE traceability and the solar opportunity
The market context makes traceability worth building in early. A World Bank report projected that by 2050, solar power generation plants could provide 11.3% of global electricity; India’s own programme had targeted about 22,000 MW of solar capacity by 2020, with solar taking a 9.6% share of generation. MNRE guidelines call for solar panel traceability, and our turnkey solutions implement it with RFID tags written at the point of manufacture.
Benefits delivered
- Effective cost control, as data is readily available at each phase of manufacturing.
- Better quality control, since processes become more visible with RFID.
- Clear opportunities to improve process efficiency.
- Elimination of human error through process automation.
Recommended Identium hardware
- UHF RFID inlays and labels — label formats proven on solar panels, encoded with serial and test data.
- IHZ4 4-port fixed reader — one reader covering multiple line stations through four antenna ports.
- CX1500N handheld RFID reader — verify installed panels at project sites and during O&M visits.
- RFID printers — print and encode serialised panel labels on demand.
Related solutions
- Manufacturing & WIP tracking
- RFID asset tracking
- Turnkey plant automation
- RFID supply chain management
If you are setting up or upgrading a module line, get the traceability layer right the first time — talk to our team for a turnkey proposal.