Energetica India nº91 July August 2020

SOLAR POWER presence in the solar market, already an investment is planned of INR 100-125 Cr. Government’s support to leverage so- lar pumps Schemes introduced by the government such as KUSUM and multiple state fund- ed programs are likely to give the indus- try a boost by incentivizing large-scale adoption. However, it is believed that there is a scope for improvement and further fine tuning to attract private play - ers into this segment to democratize the product and build innovative solutions. The solar pump schemes via the flagship Government program PM KUSUM in the Agri sector and the Jal Jeevan mission for the piped water supply in rural com- munities, is bound to drive the demand for solar pumps over the next 4 years. As per a news report in 2018, over 90% of the 18,452 targeted villages for elec- trification remain off-grid, accounting to over 30 million homes. In order to add incentive to the agricultural industry in remote and rural villages of India with limited grid connectivity, Grundfos In- dia introduced two unique off-grid sus- tainable water solutions. This renew- able energy powered off-grid solutions, ‘SQFlex’ and ‘CRFlex’, will help pump underground water. These pumps can use multiple energy sources and help in improving the access to water in remote locations without grid-based electricity. Advantages of solar pumps As compared to conventional water pumps, the solar water pumps require very low maintenance. Solar water pumps have fewer moving parts than other water pumps, so the chances of deterioration are minimal. Apart from using it for water irrigation, farmers can sell the surplus energy to the grid. Solar pumps are expensive than its traditional counterparts although this seems to be a challenge, there is an initial installation cost but through its solutions it can be more cost effective throughout its lifecy- cle by consistently performing with min- imal maintenance requirements. Solar pumps have a vast potential in a tropical country like India with an abundance of sunlight. The government and private players must work together to address these challenges to prepare the indus- try for future growth. Drinking water and irrigation sector have significant poten - tial where water solution companies are constantly working on it. Future of solar pumps in India Currently, India is one of the leading countries to utilise and make solar pumps effective in the world along with countries in the Middle East and Africa. They have vast potential to address wa- ter related challenges such as availabil- ity and supply in agriculture and off-grid areas. Over 181,000 solar water pumps had been installed across the country by October 2019, announced R.K. Singh, Union Power Minister in Lok Sabha. The Government of India has a target of adding over 10,000 MW of solar ca- pacity to solarize the agriculture sector. Looking at how renewable solutions are now constantly curated and developed, it is expected to see a larger scale in up- coming years, modernization of the grid network is going to become the norm in order to successfully match the capacity. Also, Government’s incentivisation to en- courage the adoption of the renewable products will help these solutions go a long way. 47 energetica INDIA- July-Aug_2020