Power Ministry shifts agricultural load from states to solar energy

HYDERABAD: The power ministry and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) have asked states to supply energy to farmers by shifting agricultural load during solar hours and isolating agricultural ridges during the day.

The Union Power Ministry has asked states to develop a plan to optimize the combination of solar and non-solar energy. It has also asked states to opt for pumped storage plants (PSPs), meaning 24-hour storage of renewable energy is cheaper.

According to state Energy Department officials, converting farm charges to solar hours could reduce falling energy procurement costs and reduce their losses, which means more energy during peak hours than non-peak hours. Costs were higher during.

“If we vary the agricultural load daily, we can utilize the maximum amount of solar energy coming into the grid. This will also guarantee that we can reduce the burden of fossil fuels and reduce our reliance on the need for additional battery storage systems. “There is no doubt that this will be useful for delivery companies, as afternoons and mornings are usually peak hours,” officials said.

Agricultural demand constitutes about 27 per cent of the state’s total power demand and, since it is supplied at no cost to farmers, state energy companies face financial burden and losses if agricultural load is shifted to solar hours. , then operating costs can be significantly reduced. ., discom officials said.

Officials said states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka have started providing additional solar power for rainfall during the day. “Discoms are and will continue to face even greater financial problems as demand for electricity increases in rural areas. Distribution companies will also suffer losses due to this. The state can save money by switching agricultural energy costs to solar energy, as it is much cheaper than the average cost of supply”, officials said.

The Center is encouraging farmers to choose solar water pumps (SWPs) for agricultural purposes, which will be much cheaper than diesel engines and respect the environment, the official said. He said that SWP and solar power plants will be connected by 2030. The grid allows 40 to 50 GW of agricultural load per day to be transferred overnight, helping to provide farmers with reliable power during the day.