Phased implementation of Solar Agriculture Pump Sets: Minister

In a bid to ensure optimum utilisation of the natural solar energy and decarbonise the agriculture sector as envisioned by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) is all set to provide 90,000 new solar pumps to farmers for agriculture purposes in the state, said Punjab New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora in Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday. He was replying to MLA Shutrana Kulwant Singh Bazigar.

Aman Arora said that 20,000 agriculture solar pump-sets will be provided under the first phase and the remaining 70,000 solar pumps will be given in the 2nd phase. He also made it clear that these solar pumps will be allotted to those farmers, who have a sprinkler and drip irrigation system in dark zones to save precious water.

However, farmers having land in no dark zone area can apply for solar pumps without the condition of sprinkler and drip irrigation system installed in their fields. Farmers will get a 60 percent subsidy on the solar pumps, he added.

Replying to the question asked by MLA Harmit Singh Pathanmajra regarding installation of solar panels at the rooftops of Government schools in Sanaur constituency, Aman Arora said that 15 solar rooftop PV panels with a capacity of 75-KW have already been installed at Government Schools in the Sanaur Constituency. After the approval of funding, more government schools will be equipped with rooftop solar PV panels in the constituency.

In a reply to question of MLA Ajit Pal Singh Kohli regarding covering the government and semi-government institutions under solar energy, New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister said that as many as 3355 rooftop solar power plants with a capacity of 19.784-MW have been installed at government and semi-government institutions including hospitals, schools and SPV plants of capacity 1.8MW are being installed at 317 schools. Apart from this, Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Power Programme Phase-II has been handed over to the PSPCL and the latter has been executing the rooftop solar programme in the domestic sector in the state, he added.