As per Ministry, total numbers of farmers benefited in the country through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme as on 30.06.2024 is around 4.1 Lakhs.
Objectives
Salient features
Incorporating renewable energy in farmers’ irrigation practices.
Replacing high cost diesel with less expensive solar energy.
Reducing the agriculture electricity subsidy burden on States and improving the financial health of DISCOMS
Helping farmers gain access to solar water-pumps at subsidized rates.
Giving farmers an avenue to utilize their barren land through setting up of solar power plants for energy generation.
Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Launch year: 2019
Target: Add Solar capacity of about 34,800 MW by March 2026
Type: central sector scheme
Eligibility:
An individual farmer.
A group of farmers.
Farmer producer organization.
Panchayat.
Co-operatives.
Water User Associations.
Three Components
Component A: Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground/ Stilt Mounted Grid Connected Solar or other Renewable Energy based Power Plants by the farmers on their land.
Farmers can install Renewable Energy Power Plants (500 kW to 2 MW) on their own land, either individually or with groups/cooperatives.
Solar panels can be installed on cultivable land with crops grown below.
DISCOMs will purchase solar power at a feed-in-tariff (FiT) set by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC).
Procurement Based Incentive (PBI) @ 40 paise/kWh or Rs. 6.60 lakhs/MW/year, whichever is less, will be provided for the first five years by MNRE to DISCOMs, for buying the power from farmers/developers
The project site should be within 5 km of the nearest sub-station.
Component B: Installation of 14 Lakh Stand-alone Solar Agriculture Pumps.
Individual farmers will be supported to install standalone solar Agriculture pumps of capacity up to 15 HP in off-grid areas, where grid supply is not available.
Centre and state to share 30% of pump cost each; farmer to provide the remaining 40% (can access bank loan for up to 30% of the cost).
In NER/Hilly Region and Islands, CFA of 50%, State Government subsidy 30%, Remaining 20% by the farmer
In case the State Government is not in a position to give its share of subsidy of 30%, farmers can still set up solar pumps with only Central Financial Assistance.
Component C: Solarisation of 35 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps including Feeder Level Solarization.
Individual Pump Solarisation (IPS)
Individual farmers having grid connected agriculture pump will be supported to solarise pumps. Solar PV capacity up to two times of pump capacity in kW is allowed under the scheme
The farmer will be able to use the generated solar power to meet the irrigation needs and the excess solar power will be sold to DISCOMs.
Centre and state to share 30% of pump cost each; farmer to provide the remaining 40% (can access bank loan for up to 30% of the cost).
Feeder Level Solarisation (FLS)
Instead of the individual solar pumps the states can solarize the agriculture feeders.
Where agriculture feeders are not separated, loan for feeder separation may be taken from NABARD or PFC/REC.
Further, assistance for feeder separation may be availed from the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Ministry of Power. However, mixed can also be solarised.
CFA of 30% on the cost of installation of solar power plant (up to Rs 1.05 Cr/MW for General States and Rs 1.75 Cr/MW for NER/Hilly Region and Islands) will be provided.
However, in the NER/Hilly Region and Islands 50% subsidy is available.