HAROBELE, RAMANAGARA DIST: The farmers living around Harobele village in Kanakapura taluk have a new name now — Surya Raitha — which translates to ‘sun farmer’. This happened after the launch of a pilot project in India to reduce farmers’ dependence on conventional power sources by tapping solar energy. Moreover, the farmers are also selling the excess power generated in their solar units to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) grid, which is serving as an alternative source of revenue.
Buoyed up by the success of the pilot project, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department is now proposing the state government to extend the ‘Surya Raitha’ scheme to all districts of the state.
A total of 250 solar units have been installed in 11 villages around Harobele village in Kanakapura taluk, over the past one-and-a-half years, for providing power to agricultural water pump sets. Apart from providing the farmers with a small source of income, the initiative by the Energy Department and BESCOM has also ensured steady power supply in the months of sunshine.
Speaking to Express, M Loordappa, the owner of the farm where the unique project was inaugurated, explained how the initiative has ensured steady water supply to his crops. “Earlier, we used to wait till midnight for power companies to supply power to the pump sets. In several cases, farmers waiting for power have fallen victims to snake bites in the dark.” he said.
Jacob, another farmer in the village said that unlike the single phase power they were being supplied earlier, the quality of power generated by the solar panels ensured better water flow from the pumps.
The farmers involved in the project have also started a co-operative — ‘Surya Raitha Krushi Vidhyuth Balakedaarara Sahakaara Sangha.’
Project implementation
According to BESCOM officials, farmers could install 10.8 kW or 7.2 kW units for 7 HP (horsepower) or 5 HP pumps. With a small share from the farmers, BESCOM also ensures them interest-free loans, which is paid back by supplying the excess power to a dedicated BESCOM feeder set up in the village, said P Rajendra Cholan, Managing Director, BESCOM.
Pashupathy Gopalan, CEO of SunEdison, the firm which set up the solar units, said that this was the first such scheme in India. “As places such as Kanakapura receive upto 300 days of sunlight, the unique policy of the state government allows farmers to generate power. Moreover, they will become owners of the solar units after repayment of loans in 10-12 years, which will increase their revenue,” he said. Currently, the farmers are being paid `7.20 per unit electricity supplied to the grid, of which `6 goes to repay the loans and `1 will be revenue for farmer.
project involves
250 Number of units in phase 1
Types of units in phase 1
5 HP - 177, 7 HP - 73
A 7.13 lakh Cost of 5 HP unit
A 9.43 lakh Cost of 7 HP unit