PANAJI: India’s first convergence project to generate green energy for rural and agriculture consumption is set to come up in the state. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the ministry of power, and Goa government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to discuss the rolling out of the affordable clean power project.
The project is expected to accelerate the usage of renewable energy sources in the country, Union minister of state (independent charge) for power and new and renewable energy R K Singh said, adding that the signing of the MoU “in some sense marks the beginning of a fresh green revolution”. He asked Goa to take the lead in this regard with all possible support by the Centre under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
“With this initiative Goa is well on the path to becoming a green state,” he said.
“The state has set a target to generate 150MW green energy in the next two to three years and will also set up 100MW solar power plants across the state,” power minister Nilesh Cabral said.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Singh, Cabral, secretary ministry of power, Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, and other senior officers of the ministry.
Cabral said that under the convergence project, 6,500 five-starred agriculture pumps will be distributed to farmers in the state and that in the next one year four LED bulbs will be distributed per house. The state will also provide solar cookers. “EESL will invest Rs 450 crore and the government will buy power at Rs 3.7,” the power minister said. He said that agreement will be in force for the next 25 years.
When people are shouting about stopping coal transportation, with this MOU Goa is going in for green energy, Cabral said. “In future we will reduce the quantity of coal based power being brought to the state. Our target is to make Goa run on green energy,” he said.
In Goa, EESL will install solar projects in a first of its kind large scale programme where vacant/unused land provided by village panchayats/electricity board will be utilised. The solar power plant will be installed with capacities ranging from 500KW to 2MW, depending on the size of the land. This will enable distribution companies to supply power during the day and reduce transmission losses.
Under the MoU, EESL and the directorate of new and renewable energy (DNRE) will carry out feasibility studies and subsequent implementation of 100MW decentralised solar energy projects that will contribute in reduction of peak energy demand through deployment of energy efficient agricultural pumping and rural lighting thus contributing to overall sustainability.
Approximately 6,300 agricultural pumps will be replaced with BEE star-rated energy efficient pumps and approximately 16 lakh LED bulbs will be distributed to rural domestic households.
“When we started the PM-KUSUM scheme, this is what was in our mind, to restart a fresh green revolution in the agriculture sector,” Singh said.
PM-KUSUM scheme supports installation of off-grid solar pumps in rural areas and reduces dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas.
“This model is expected to be adopted by other states as it will reduce losses in terms of expenditure on water for the farm sector, which runs into tens of thousands crore rupees in several states. That preempts state spending on health, education, and other important sectors,” Singh said.
The Union minister asked his ministry to look out for incentivising energy and groundwater saving by farmers. Together with the new rooftop solar scheme this will prove to be win-win for farmers and states, helping them to go green.
Goa has no power plant of its own. It gets around 550MW from the central grid.