Digital boost to revive solar power installation scheme
- With delays plaguing PM-KUSUM programme States have begun experimenting with alternate approaches to improve adoption.
Highlights:
- The Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) envisages setting up 100 GW of solar power plants in farmer-owned land, installing 14 lakh solar pumps, and solarising 35 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps.
- So far, only 256 MW of power plants, 3.97 lakh solar pumps, and 13,500 solarised pumps have been installed as of June 2024.
- The low uptake has forced the government to push the scheme’s deadline to 2026.
- A key hurdle is the unavailability of suitable land.
- Solar power in India has grown on the back of utility scale power projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan where vast tracts of deserts and uncultivable land are suitable for setting up power plants.
- Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is a collaboration of the IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund, and works on clean energy adoption and financing the transition away from fossil fuel in developing countries.
- The digital platform allows tracking the scheme’s progress in real-time allowing for prompt corrective actions and provides a level of oversight crucial for the successful deployment of large-scale solar projects, where delays and mismanagement can have significant repercussions
- GEAPP looks to ensure that landowners receive fair compensation, with lease rates linked to prevailing market rates and adjusted for inflation.
- GEAPP’s digital solutions and on-ground support have helped mitigate these issues, enabling Rajasthan to lead in achieving its renewable energy targets
- According to the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), of the 256 MW installed nationally, nearly 200 MW of solar capacity is situated in Rajasthan alone.
Prelims Takeaway
- GEAPP
- PM - KUSUM