Farmers of Uttar Pradesh will now be able to irrigate their fields with solar energy-run tube wells by setting up solar power units and also sell the surplus power to the respective power distribution company of UP Power Corporation Limited, thereby making an extra income. And this will be possible due to the Prime Minister’s Kusum Yojana (scheme).
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken special interest in promoting solar energy to encourage renewable energy options in view of future needs and has asked officials to promote Kusum Yojana as there is a lot of enthusiasm among the farmers about this scheme.
Under Component-C of Kusum Yojana, it is proposed to increase the income of farmers by energising their private grid connected tube wells with solar power. Farmers will be able to use it for irrigation and sell the surplus power to the power DISCOMs. Under this scheme, as many as 30,000 private tube wells will be energised by solar power by 2022 and the scheme is being implemented by UPPCL and the Energy department of the state government. There is also a plan to energise private grid connected private tube wells and separated agricultural power feeders.
Free feasibility report is being prepared by Solar Energy Corporation India for solarisation of total capacity (2742 MW) of already separated feeders of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation and also those which are identified for separation in near future. In recent years, the Central and UP governments have been focused on encouraging solar energy (solar pump, solar rooftop, solar street light, solar park, developing Ayodhya as a solar city) which in turn would emerge as a source of employment for the youth at the local level in near future.
Director of UP Non-conventional Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), Bhawani Singh Khangaraut, said, “Prime Minister mobile app ‘Aditya’ has been developed by NEDA to take Digital India campaign forward through which youths of the state will be given help for Surya Mitra training, self-employment etc. under the Skill Development Mission. Trained Surya Mitra will ensure quality maintenance and functioning of solar power units and more than 2,500 Surya Mitras have been trained across the state.”