Helping farmers earn from solar power generation is an ambitious plan with major difficulties. Critically discuss the above statement in the context of KUSUM scheme. (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 8 years
KEY POINTS
Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme
· The government is planning to install one million solar pumps by 2021.
· To achieve this, KUSUM scheme has been introduced.
· It will help set up more than 28 GW of combined solar capacity through these solar pumps.
· Additionally, to ensure optimal use of this solar energy, and to incentivise farmers to shift to renewable energy, the government plans to purchase the surplus power through electricity distribution companies.
Advantages
· It would provide additional income to farmers, by giving them option to sell additional power to the grid.
· Promote decentralized solar power production
· Reduce transmission losses and power theft
· Support the financial health of DISCOMs by reducing the burden of subsidy to the agriculture sector
· Promote energy efficiency and discourage overutilization of groundwater
· Provide water security to farmers through solar water pumps
Difficulties
· Balancing demand and supply – All power grids require balancing which entails meeting the demand with that of supply to ensure there is no blackout.
· The reason for striking this balance is that electrical energy cannot readily be stored, meaning that power generation ought to work round the clock.
· With more and more power being generated through fluctuating power generators (solar and wind), a more precise balance will have to be created.
· Variations in weather patterns make it more difficult to predict the balance of electrical energy that will be required to meet the demand.
· Take the example of solar panels that farmers use. These panels will only generate electricity during daylight hours.
· Output from solar power generation can also change in day time as well due to the change in weather, rain and clouds.
· To maintain a consistent round-the-clock power delivery the grid operators will need to have a back-up source of power in the form of coal or oil.
· Uneven demands – Because of India’s sheer size, if some areas have low consumption, others are likely to have high consumption.
Way Ahead
· More stability can be achieved by integrating the grids into all-India grids.
· Expected advances in storage technology would also significantly improve grid stability.
· However, the only problem that the government seems to be focussed on is to adequately remunerate the farmers and increase their incomes.
· A significant attention also ought to be provided to the stability of the grid, lest the grid network collapses due to the uncertainties of power supply and demand.
