Imperative to have sustainable and efficient technology for solar pumps

Earth is called the ‘blue’ planet as it is 70 per cent covered with water. However, 97 per cent of this water is saline and may not be readily available without being treated. The rest of the 3 per cent of available freshwater is not evenly distributed across the world, leading to water crisis in many parts. One such country that is severely affected owing to this uneven distribution of water is India. Over one-fifth of the world’s population live in India, however, only one-third have access to clean and safe water. This situation makes water crisis grave in a developing economy such as ours, where 70 per cent of the population is still agrarian, with a high dependency on water. 

 

India’s reliance on agriculture & associated water-related challenges

According to The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, India ranks No. 2 in the farm output worldwide. Agriculture being the third-largest contributor to the country’s GDP, it consumes 80 per cent of the total available water. Farmers in the country are heavily dependent on water for irrigation, to feed cattle and for other agricultural requirements.

 

Water for agricultural purposes are mostly used from groundwater, well-based systems, canals, tanks or rainwater harvested. For each of these sources of water to be used, access to a regular supply of electricity is essential to pump water and move water. 

 

However, due to erratic power supply owing to poor power grid connectivity, farmers are mostly left to battle several challenges in handling water. These challenges include paying hefty bills to run their pumps with diesel due to unreliable power source, excessive usage of water owing to inefficient pump systems, over-exploitation of available natural resources, and dependency on inadequate infrastructure.  

 

According to a report by NITI Aayog, it is estimated that Indian farmers use two to four times more water to produce a unit of a major food crop than in China or Brazil. The country faces significant risks as low performers in the Water Index. Over 23 Million pumps in India are pumping water, round the clock, to support agriculture. Thus, managing water sustainability is key to the future of food and agriculture in the country. 

 

Creating sustainable livelihood with clean solutions

Overall, pumps contribute to 10 per cent of the world’s total electrical energy consumption. Over 75 per cent of these pumps are inefficient. Given the uncertainty of rainfall or minimum access to water in India, farmers use water pumps to irrigate fields and they play an integral role in a farmer’s life. Most of the agricultural pumps being used in India today are not energy efficient.

 

Given that most of these pumps are dependent on electricity for their functioning, it becomes a challenge in off-grid areas. Thus, solar-powered pumps have emerged as a sustainable solution to enable farmers to operate hassle-free without any dependency on the grid. Solar pumps are essentially a collection of solar PV panels, an AC or DC pump and the associated electronics that has been optimized for high-efficiency operations. These pumps are available in multiple configurations starting from 1 HP (horsepower) to 5 HP and higher that are suitable for water extraction and other uses depending on the agricultural requirement.

 

Solar water pumps are easy to install and hence are emerging as a popular choice among the end-user. Most importantly, the panels for a solar pump can be sized to meet the power demand of the pump. 

 

 

The growing relevance of solar-powered pumps

If we look at the economics, solar-powered pumping systems may require substantial initial investments, but later, it reaps higher benefits as there is no operating cost nor energy cost. For a developing country such as India, with abundant sunlight and limited fossil-fuel resources, solar-powered pumping systems provide promising solutions to meet the irrigation requirements of land holdings for small and marginal farmers. Solar pumps can operate for long periods with minimal human intervention. 

 

Government of India has also embarked on an ambitious target of having 450GW of renewable energy by 2030. As part of this goal, it plans to provide 17 lakh solar pumps to farmers under Pradhan Mantri-Kusum Yojana. India has also forged partnerships and is at the forefront of the formation of ‘International Solar Alliance’ (ISA). A total of 85 countries have signed the agreement, and 64 nations have ratified it.

 

Grundfos India has already installed about 43,000 solar pumps for drinking water applications since its inception in India which has successfully been able to create a positive impact on 9.2 million people by providing access to clean drinking water. Apart from this, 4150 units of 3 and 5 HP SP Solar pumps have been installed and are in operation for the last 5-8 months across the country, supporting farmers in irrigating their farm lands. 

 

Need to democratize the technological innovations

According to a report by Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance, four of the top five investments in renewable energy in 2019 were in India, with venture capitals and private equity investment up by 169 per cent at $1.4 billion.

 

Looking at the broader dynamics, India has a vast potential left to be explored, and the demand for rooftop solar has not been fully tapped. Therefore, Grundfos is planning to invest in India in phases mainly to build the solar market to address the sustainability goal of the organization. The investment started in 2019 and will continue for a few more years to come and is to the tune of Rs 100125 crore in total. These investments will enable the company to come up with affordable innovation, product development, products and thereby largely contribute to product democratization. 

 

In addition to this, leveraging the four key technologies set to revolutionize the democratization of solar and renewable energy products. These technologies include leveraging the power of the Internet of Things, innovations in the areas of storage technologies, augmentation with artificial intelligence and block chain technology.

 

Alongside, efforts by the government to forge partnerships with Corporate to establish public-private partnerships are also likely to encourage widespread adoption of these products.

 

- Rangarajan Ramaswamy, Senior Vice President, Water Utility, Export, Grundfos Life Link & Solar, Grundfos India