Market assessment of solar pumps in India
Student name: Mr Gaurav Balani
Guide: Dr Naqui Anwer
Year of completion: 2018
Host Organisation: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Anand Upadhyay
Abstract: India is an agriculture dominated country and the agriculture production is
dependent on water and electricity. Though water resources are limited and the
reservoirs cannot be extended to each and every farm. So, efficient consumption
of water is required for proper irrigation practices on a farm. While majority of
agricultural production is supported by irrigation means which is dependent on
electricity.
Electricity provided to agricultural consumers are highly subsidies by cross
subsidy from other consumer category. Country’s 20% electricity consumption is
in the agriculture sector and almost every state is providing free electricity to
agriculture consumers, The burden of cost of supply is either Bourne by state
governments via subsidies of DISCOMs due to not recovering money or by
industrial or commercial consumers who are paying higher tariff due to cost
subsidy.
Solar pumps will provide the independent source of electricity to agriculture
consumers which will also reduce the financial burdens on state government,
discoms and cross subsidy consumers.
In this work, an assessment is done on what pumping size is required based on
farm size, crop water requirement. Based on the size of farms and pump capacity
required and estimation on how a solar pump can replace diesel and electric
pumps. A major focus is given to replacing solar with electric pumps so that how
it could provide a solution for state governments who are spending around 10%
of state budget in electricity subsidy every year.
