PM KUSUM-B: Karnataka saves ā¹200 crore annually after installation of 27,700 solar-powered pump sets
More than one lakh farmers have applied for installation of standalone solar-powered agricultural pump sets under the PM KUSUM-B scheme, giving a significant boost to
More than one lakh farmers have applied for installation of standalone solar-powered agricultural pump sets under the PM KUSUM-B scheme, giving a significant boost to Karnatakaās power sector, said the Energy Department. More than 27,700 solar agricultural pump sets have already been installed across the State, reducing the demand from the power grid by nearly 144 MW and saving around ā¹200 crore annually by reducing the electricity subsidy paid for agricultural pump sets.
These pump sets are also expected to prevent the purchase of 240 million units of electricity every year, resulting in annual power purchase savings of about ā¹146 crore for Escoms. It further stated that the receipt of over one lakh applications reflects the growing confidence of farmers in adopting solar-powered irrigation. After installation of more than 27,700 standalone solar-powered pump sets, the State is moving towards the target installation of 40,000 pump sets.
Energy and Tourism Minister K.J. George said, āWe identified and resolved implementation bottlenecks, simplified the process and gave fresh momentum to the programme. Every solar agricultural pump installed is a permanent investment in Karnatakaās future. It reduces the Stateās power purchase costs, lowers the electricity subsidy burden, strengthens our energy security and improves the quality of
life of farmers. This is not merely a renewable energy programme; it is a transformative economic and social initiative.ā To encourage farmers to adopt clean energy, the Karnataka government provides 50% financial assistance for the installation of solar agricultural pump sets, while 30% assistance is provided by the Union government and 20% is contributed by farmers.
The BriefWire