PANAJI
As the State government eyes 100 per cent solar energy usage by decreasing its dependence on fossil fuels in the coming years, the agriculture sector is yet to make its mark in the sector. Goa has zero solar-installed capacity so far, under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Uthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) as against the sanctioned 150 MW.
The PM KUSUM scheme, launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in July 2019 has three components and unfortunately, Goa’s achievement is only 6.3 per cent in the solarisation farm sector.
The Union Ministry data, released last month, itself reveals that as against the sanctioned capacity of 200 stand-alone solar pumps, not a single pump has been installed till date.
However, under the Individual Pump Solarisation and Feeder Level Solarisation, the State managed to install a total 700 out of 11,000 sanctioned, however the generation remains zero.
The three components of the scheme are -- to install grid-connected, ground-mounted, solar-power plants on barren, fallow, marshy or cultivable lands by individual farmers or solar power developers or local bodies.
The second component is about installation of stand-alone solar pumps in off-grid areas and under third, solarisation of grid connected agriculture pumps.
Sources informed that with farmers staying away from adopting solar powered irrigation pumps, the State government, through the recent Cabinet, decided to give 100 per cent subsidy for purchasing solar pumps. “The scheme is basically aimed for de-dieselising the farming sector,” sources said.
The State notified the implementation of component B of the scheme for setting up off-grid, standalone solar photovoltaic water pumping systems by farmers (inherited/self-owned/caretaker cultivator) for the year 2021-2022.
Earlier, the Centre and State government used to offer subsidy of 30 per cent each while the remaining 40 per cent had to be taken care of by the famers, who also find it non-affordable, sources said. “The farmers would have been in position to use the generated solar power to meet their agriculture needs while the excess would be sold out at a tariff fixed by the government,” sources said.
