Electricity for Farmers in Rajasthan

• 12 Aug 2024

Why in News?

According to the sources, the Rajasthan government has signed new agreements to promote renewable energy which will help Farmers to receive electricity for irrigating their fields during the day.

Key Points

• The State government's initiatives to boost power generation would guarantee an uninterrupted daytime electricity supply to agricultural users by 2027.
• A letter of intent was issued for 4,386 Megawatts projects under the Prime Minister's KUSUM-C Scheme and a memorandum of understanding was signed for two gas-based power plants in Jaipur.
• In 2020, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) introduced implementation of feeder level solarization under Component-C of PM-KUSUM Scheme.
  • Under the scheme, agriculture feeders already segregated or, feeders having a major load for agriculture may be solarized using installation of grid connected solar power plants to cater the annual power requirement of feeder. This will lead to lower cost both in terms of lower capital cost and cost of power.

PM-KUSUM

• About:
  • The PM-KUSUM is a flagship scheme initiated by the Indian government in 2019 with the primary objective of transforming the agricultural sector by promoting the adoption of solar energy solutions.
  • It operates on a demand-driven approach. Capacities are allocated based on the demands received from various states and union territories (UTs).
  • Through various components and financial support, PM-KUSUM envisions achieving a significant solar power capacity addition of 30.8 GW by March 31, 2026.
• Objectives of PM-KUSUM:
  • De-dieselisation of the Farm Sector: The scheme aims to reduce the dependence on diesel for irrigation by encouraging the use of solar-powered pumps and other renewable energy sources.
    • It also seeks to increase farmers' income by reducing irrigation costs through the use of solar pumps and enabling them to sell surplus solar power to the grid.
  • Water and Energy Security for Farmers: By providing access to solar pumps and promoting solar-based community irrigation projects, the scheme aims to enhance water and energy security for farmers.
  • Curbing Environmental Pollution: Through the adoption of clean and renewable solar energy, the scheme aims to mitigate environmental pollution caused by conventional energy sources.