Maharashtra Government to introduce feeder-based solar pumps for farmers

The Maharashtra government has decided to shelve the solar agriculture pump scheme and opt for a feeder-based solar energy scheme, which is financially feasible for farmers. The state government’s ambitious plan to install 10,000 solar pumps has failed to strike a chord with farmers, with many exhibiting reluctance to buy the new technology, which is costly.

Energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has admitted that the individual solar-operated pumps are expensive and hence the government has decided to introduce feeder-based pumps for farmers. “The individual pumps cost Rs 5 lakh each while the solar energy based on feeders cost Rs 5 crore for 500 connections. The feeder-based solar pumps are 20 per cent cheaper than individual pumps. We are encouraging people to use them,” the minister told The Asian Age.

The state will install individual solar pumps only in remote areas where the feeder is not installed, he added. Sixty per cent of the cost of individual solar pumps will be borne by Mahadiscom, 30 per cent by the Centre and five per cent each by the state and end-user. However, only about 400 farmers have paid the initial instalments of the 800 applications it had received. After floating tenders for the solar pump manufacturing companies, the state government attracted a lot of flak over the pricing. The state’s pricing was higher than Gujarat and other states. Hence, the scheme was halted for a few months.

The first feeder-based solar pump project is coming up in Solapur where a solar pump will be installed for a group of farmers. The electricity needed for a feeder, which is used as a supplier for agriculture pumps, will be generated via a single solar plant.

For the feeder-based solar plant, farmers are expected to form groups and install solar plant based on feeder. The government will help them financially and technically, an official from the energy department said.