Energetica India Magazine -October 2020

SOLAR POWER Imperative to have sustainable and efficient technology for solar pumps Given that most of the 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. 52 energetica INDIA- October_2020 Rangarajan Ramaswamy Senior Vice President, Water Utility, Export, Grundfos Life Link & Solar, Grundfos India 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 be- ing treated. The rest of the 3 per cent of available freshwater is not evenly distrib- uted across the world, leading to water crisis in many parts. One such country that is severely affected owing to this un- even distribution of water is India. Over one-fifth of the world’s population live in India, however, only one-third have ac- cess to clean and safe water. This situa- tion makes water crisis grave in a devel- oping economy such as ours, where 70 per cent of the population is still agrar- ian, with a high dependency on water. India’s reliance on agriculture & asso - ciated water-related challenges According to The Food and Agricul- ture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, India ranks No. 2 in the farm output worldwide. Agriculture being the third-largest contributor to the coun- try’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 oth- er 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 sever- al challenges in handling water. These challenges include paying hefty bills to run their pumps with diesel due to unre- liable power source, excessive usage of water owing to inefficient pump systems, over-exploitation of available natural re- sources, and dependency on inade- quate 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 In- dex. Over 23 Million pumps in India are pumping water, round the clock, to sup- port 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 uncer - tainty 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 agricul- tural pumps being used in India today are not energy efficient. Given that most of these pumps are de- pendent on electricity for their function- ing, 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 op - erations. These pumps are available in multiple configurations starting from 1 HP (horsepower) to 5 HP and higher that are suitable for water extraction and oth- er uses depending on the agricultural re- quirement. Solar water pumps are easy