The UP government is likely to lend a budgetary push to the ambitious PM Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahaabhiyan (PM-Kusum) scheme envisaging solarisation of agricultural pumps up to a capacity of 7.5 horse power.
Power officials confirmed that the energy department would seek funds to give a fillip to the scheme which is seen as an alternative to energizing the agriculture sector accounting for 16% of the total power consumption in the state.
According to sources, the energy department would be seeking budgetary provision in component B and C under Kusum scheme.
Component B comprises standalone solar power agricultural pumps while component C comprises grid connected agriculture pumps up to a capacity of 7.5 horse power.
A concept note of the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) says that the PM-Kusum scheme is part of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) wherein the government has committed to increase the share of installed capacity of electric power from non-fossil fuel sources to 40% by 2030.
The Union cabinet has already approved scaling up of solar power target from 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power projects to 1 lakh MW by 2022.
While large scale solar power generation projects are being installed to achieve the ambitious target of 100 gigawatt by 2022
It has been planned to simultaneously develop decentralized solar energy and other renewable energy generation plants of capacity up to 2 Mw, which could be connected directly to existing 33/11 KV substations of distribution company, thus saving in transmission requirement apart from transmission and distribution losses.
Reference- Mercom India, Times Of India