Ritika
-Rajesh Mishra
Lucknow: In Uttar Pradesh, farmers will now be able to set up solar power plants in their fields. By installing solar power plants in the fields, the electricity requirement of the farmers will not only be fulfilled, but their income will also increase. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has launched the Kusuman scheme for setting up solar power plants in farmers’ fields.
Under the Kusum scheme, UPPCL has entered into power purchase agreements with private developers and farmers for 7 MW solar power generation projects in 6 districts. Under this, farmers will set up solar energy production centers on their barren land, in which various banks will help them and the government will also give subsidy. Farmers will be able to increase their income by selling the electricity generated through these solar power generation centers to the government or private power companies. Under the scheme, solar power generation centers will be set up in Bijnor, Hathras, Mahoba, Jalaun, Deoria and Lucknow.
Farmers will get two types of benefits
Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation M. Devraj told that 1.5 MW in village Vilaspur of Bijnor, half MW in village Mauhari of Hathras, one MW in village Devgaon of Mahoba, one MW in village Khuksis of Jalaun, one MW in village Bariyarpur of Deoria. MW and 2 MW solar power generation centers will be set up in village Parseni of Lucknow. He told that farmers will get two types of benefits from this scheme. First, instead of the old diesel irrigation pumps, they will be able to use solar panel operated irrigation pumps. Secondly, they can earn up to Rs 80,000 annually as extra income by selling the electricity generated from the solar plant in the farm to the power companies. Under this scheme, the government gives 90 percent of the total cost of the solar pump as subsidy to the farmers.
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Solar panels will be installed on barren lands
Under this scheme, farmers can generate electricity from solar energy by installing solar panels on their barren lands and earn money every month by selling it to various government and non-government power companies. Under the Kusum scheme, five acres of land is required to set up a 1 mega watt solar plant. 0.2 megawatt electricity can be generated on one acre of land. The pumps given under this scheme will be installed in place of agricultural pumps running on electricity and diesel.
