The development of low-priced solar technology is the best alternative to fulfill the power requirements of rural India.
It increases the possibility of developing an electricity infrastructure comprising of local-grid clusters by bypassing the installing of long-distance, expensive, and centralized power delivery systems.

The innovations in solar micro-grid

The solar micro-grid consists of photovoltaic (PV) cells that can generate and transmits power using a centralized controller called the power conditioning unit directly to homes, shops, offices, street lights.

The potential success of the solar microgrid model in electrifying complex and layered areas of rural India has brought multiple technology experts to collaborate with each other in designing the best-suited electrification model called Reference Electrification Model (REM).

REM can be used to plan small as well as large projects with detailed technical, economic, and market data. The model calculates the required sunlight to reach the grid and the demand for power in that area etc.

Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan
The cabinet committee on economic affairs approved the launch of Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan in 2019 with the prime objective of providing financial and water security to farmers.
The scheme will add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022 with a total central financial support of Rs. 34,422 crore. It will be covered in three key components:

  • Component A will cover renewable power plants with a capacity of 500 KW to 2 MW which will be set up by farmers, panchayats, or farmer producing organizations (FPO) on barren or cultivable lands. The government provides an option of purchasing the power generated by the respected DISCOMs at tariff rates determined by SERC. The scheme will help in proving farmers with stable sources of income on their rural land.
  • Component B will cover individual farmers to install standalone solar pumps up to the capacity of 7.5 HP.
  • Component C will support farmers to solarise pumps up to the capacity of 7.5 HP. The scheme will allow solar PV capacity of up to two times of pump capacity in kW. The farmer will have the option to sell the excess available energy to DISCOM after meeting their irrigation needs.

The Scheme has considerable environmental benefits. All the three components together will approximately save 27 million tonnes of CO2 emission per year.