The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has issued guidelines for implementing the state’s solar pump program, which provides DC solar pumps at subsidized rates.

HAREDA provides subsidies under Component B of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM) program for DC solar pumps with capacities from 3 HP to 10 HP.

The solar pumps are divided into water-filled pumps with a normal controller and pumps with universal solar pump controllers.

Pumps with normal controller include surface pumps with 3 HP (DC) capacity, submersible pumps with 7.5 HP (DC) capacity, and 10 HP AC and DC capacity.

Pumps with universal controllers include submersible pumps with 10 HP AC and DC capacity.

Under the subsidy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will cover 30% of the cost through its central financial assistance and the state government will cover 45% resulting in a 75% subsidy with farmers having to pay only 25% of the total cost.

Who is eligible?

Individual farmers with standalone solar agriculture pumps of up to 10 HP can apply for these subsidies. Others who can benefit from the subsidies include water user associations, gaushalas, farmer-producer organizations, primary agricultural credit societies, and community or cluster-based irrigation systems.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the subsidy, individual applicants must have agricultural land and a family can only apply for one solar pump. The applicant’s family must not have previously availed of solar pumps under this program. The applicant must not have an electric agricultural connection in their name. But, existing consumers of electric tube-wells upto 10 HP are given priority in new allocations, if they surrender their existing electric tube-well connections. In villages where groundwater table is below 100 ft, new solar pumps under this initiative is not allowed. However, existing standalone diesel pumps can be converted into standalone solar pumps in such villages, provided they utilize micro-irrigation techniques to save water. Applicants must not be paddy cultivators where the groundwater table is below 40 meters.

Allocation Criteria

Priority will be given to 10 HP electric tubewell connections that applied for permission from distribution companies between 2019 and 2023, followed by farmers under the Micro Irrigation and Command Area Development Authority. The remaining applicants will be assessed for eligibility based on the family income and land holdings/land under cultivation.

Applications can be submitted through the saralharyana.gov.in portal.

HAREDA will forfeit 5% of the amount deposited by the applicant if they submit a refund request after the work order has been issued.

The standard rate has been determined for the six different solar pump types for two years. The remaining categories must be procured through a tendering process.

Farmers can use a universal solar pump controller in conjunction with solar pumps to utilize the generated energy for activities such as operating chaff cutters, flour mills, cold storages, driers, and other standard voltage (400/415V) three-phase motors or equipment of similar capacity.

The solar pumps will also receive annual five-year maintenance, and the selected vendor will inspect the solar installation quarterly.

In 2024, HAREDA awarded contracts to supply, install, and commission 17,458 solar water pumping systems under Component B of the PM KUSUM Program.

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