Through the approval of a petition filed by Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (UHBVNL) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has given its approval to install grid-connected solar-powered tube well pumps in the state.

The pilot project involves the installation of 468 solar pumps totaling a cumulative capacity of around 2.9 MW.

The petition states that as of 2018, Haryana had more than 605,000 agricultural tubewell connections, with another 40,000 farmers waiting for a grid connection.

The pumps will be installed under the CAPEX model through the Haryana Department of Renewable Energy (HAREDA). The projects are expected to be installed at 11 kV agricultural feeders in Biana in Karnal district and Marupur in Yamunanagar district.

Further, the project is expected to get 30% subsidy through the central government’s KUSUM program. The recently launched KUSUM program has three components and aims to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW by 2022.

• The first component under the program includes the installation of 10,000 MW of decentralized ground-mounted grid-connected renewable power projects.
• The second component will be the installation of 1.75 million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps.
• The third component is solarization of 1 million grid-connected solar-powered agriculture pumps.

The solar-powered pumps installed under this project will belong to HAREDA or state distribution companies for the initial five years, and farmers will be paid for the surplus energy injected into the grid at ₹1 ($0.014)/kWh.

Companies providing the systems will also be responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance for five years. The total installed solar capacity required for the feeders is approximately 2.3 MW (Biana), and 0.7 MW (Marupur). Both will remain in operation for 12 hours per day.

Under this pilot project, the existing AC pumps in the region will be replaced with grid-connected solar water pumping system with remote monitoring, maximum power point tracker (MPPT), grid-connected inverter (unidirectional), mounting structure, and cables as per the specifications of the central government.

Through this project, the Haryana government plans to encourage the efficient use of electricity and groundwater among farmers while increasing their income and financial autonomy.

State and central governments are pushing for the wider adoption of solar water pumps in India. In August 2019, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) also issued a tender for 175,000 off-grid solar water pumping systems.

Image credit: Claro Energy