Eyeing to save around Rs 200 crore every year on account of power subsidy besides saving natural resources, Punjab Government has decided to solarise one lakh existing electric agriculture tube-wells in the state. “The energy sector is transitioning in an unprecedented way and this revolutionary step will pave a way to ensure cheaper and green energy,” said the state New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora on Monday, adding that with the implementation of this project, Punjab will avail four major benefits — reducing burden of subsidy on the state exchequer, reducing demand of power supply, reducing input cost on agriculture, and saving environment by replacing conventional power with the solar energy. He said that PEDA has already invited e-bids for selection of Solar Power Generators (SPGs) for feeder level solarisation of 25,000 grid connected agriculture pumps. Notably, Government of Punjab provides free power to 13.88 lakh farmers of the State for their grid connected tube-wells for irrigation and bears the expenditure of approximately Rs 7,000 crores as subsidy being paid to the state power corporation — PSPCL.
