Solar to Revolutionize the Indian Agriculture sector
I love to hear stories about how solar energy is uplifting the lives of the weaker sections of society and giving them the power to move forward. We at Greenworldinvestor have been promoting such stories and would welcome more reader experiences/ stories in this regard. It is amazing to think about how a free form of energy from nature is helping us nourish and prosper is innumerable ways. You might also want to read Solar Companies with a Social drive in India.
Today I am going to talk about a farmers’ solar irrigation co-operative project in Gujrat. Back in 2015, a farmer in Gujrat’s Anand district installed a solar water pump and has been benefitting from it in many ways till date. Inspired by him few more farmers decided to go solar and launched the country’s first solar irrigation cooperative – Dhundi Saur Urja Utpadak Sahakari Mandali (DSUUSM), later that year. The lives of these farmers have changed since then. Not only have they become free from the increasing diesel costs used to run their water pumps, but they are also able to sell surplus irrigation water and power to neighboring farmers as well. The co-operative has earned nearly INR 10 lakhs by selling excess power and around INR 6 lakhs by selling surplus water till date. Many farmers in the nearby areas are going solar, given the fact that solar now makes complete economic sense.
Also, read All you wanted to know about Solar Subsidies in India
Isn’t it amazing!!
According to industry estimates, 13,000 units of power per year can be generated on just 1/25th hectare of a land. India has a problem of fragmented agricultural land holdings. Hence, a huge area cannot be utilized for installing the pump or getting the full benefit of modern irrigation technologies. Taking the DSUUSM model as an inspiration, thousands of farmers in the country could avail the benefits of solar water pumps and lead better lives.
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