India expands Solar Power to its Farms.

Farmers can soon bank on solar power for extra buck - Times of India

Farmers can make an extra buck or two by switching to solar power for running irrigation pumps and selling surplus power to discoms. All this will become possible because of heavy dose of funding promised in the Budget for 'KUSUM' (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthaan Maha Abhiyaan) scheme.

From article, ([In India] Solar power could soon become the new cash crop for farmers, who can make an extra buck or two by switching to solar power for running irrigation pumps and selling surplus power to discoms.


All this will become possible because of heavy dose of funding promised in the Budget for 'KUSUM' (Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthaan Maha Abhiyaan) scheme. The refreshed version of the scheme doubles to 60% from 30% the subsidy for buying solar pumps. This will be equally borne by the Centre and states.

Farmers will have to bear 10% of the cost of solar pumps and will get loan from banks for the remaining part of the payment. All assistance will be transferred directly into the account of farmers. The refreshed scheme also provides 50 paise per unit as incentive to discoms for buying surplus power from farmers for five years.

The refreshed scheme envisages spending Rs 48,000 crore over the next 10 years to wean farmers away from diesel-run pumps and also convert grid-connected irrigation pumps to solar power for ensuring clean, reliable operation. India has 30 million farm pumps, including 10 million running on diesel.

The plan will allow farmers to put barren land to use by allowing construction of solar power projects on them.

Altogether, 10,000 MW solar power capacity is envisaged to be built under the plan. The Centre reckons to install 17.5 lakh off-grid solar pumps. Grid-connected farm pumps, aggregating a capacity of 7,250 MW, would also be 'solarised'. Grid-connected water pumps will be solarised. It is likely to take four years to solarise these pumps.)

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