- Introduction
- About the Scheme
- Objectives
- Benefits
- Components
- Significance
- Recent changes
- Challenges
- Conclusion
Introduction
“The farmer focus of PM-KUSUM has given a fillip to the farmer-oriented scheme involving decentralised solar power production up to 28,250 MW over a period of five years, known as KUSUM Scheme.
The Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme would provide additional income to farmers, by giving them the option to sell additional power to the grid, through solar power projects set up on their barren lands.
About KUSUM scheme
It is a ₹1.4 lakh-crore scheme for promoting decentralised solar power production of up to 28,250 MW to help farmers.
Objectives
- Promote decentralised solar power production;
- Reduce transmission losses;
- Support the financial health of DISCOMS by reducing the burden of subsidy to the agriculture sector;
- Help States meet the RPOs (renewable purchase obligation) targets;
- Promote energy efficiency and water conservation;
- Provide water security to farmers through provision of assured water sources through solar water pumps — both off-grid and grid connected;
- Provide reliable power to utilise the irrigation potential created by State irrigation departments; and
- Fill the void in solar power production in the intermediate range between rooftops and large parks.
PM-KUSUM scheme benefits
- The scheme will open a stable and continuous source of income to the rural land owners for a period of 25 years by utilisation of their dry/uncultivable land.
- Cultivated fields are chosen for setting up solar power project, the farmers could continue to grow crops as the solar panels are to be set up above a minimum height.
- Scheme would ensure that sufficient local solar/ other renewable energy-based power is available for feeding rural load centres and agriculture pump-set loads, which require power mostly during the day time.
- As these power plants will be located closer to the agriculture loads or to electrical substations in a decentralized manner, it will result in reduced Transmission losses for STUs and DISCOMS.
- The solar pumps will save the expenditure incurred on diesel for running diesel pump and provide the farmers a reliable source of irrigation through solar pump apart from preventing harmful pollution from running diesel pump.
Components
PM-KISAN consists of three components and aims to add a solar capacity of 30.8 GW by 2022:
Component-A:
10,000 MW of decentralised ground mounted grid connected renewable power plants.
Component-B:
Installation of two million standalone solar powered agriculture pumps.
Component-C:
Solarisation of 1.5 million grid-connected solar powered agriculture pumps.
The total central financial support provided under the scheme would be ₹34,000 crore.
Significance of the scheme
- Expected positive outcomes of the scheme include promotion of decentralised solar power production, reduction of transmission losses as well as providing support to the financial health of DISCOMs by reducing the subsidy burden to the agriculture sector.
- The scheme would also promote energy efficiency and water conservation and provide water security to farmers.
- The proposed scheme provides for:
- Setting up of grid-connected renewable power plants each of 500KW to 2 MW in the rural area.
- Installation of standalone off-grid solar water pumps to fulfil irrigation needs of farmers not connected to grid.
- Solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps to make farmers independent of grid supply and also sell surplus solar power generated to Discom and get extra income.
Recent changes
- Recently, central government came out with guidelines for implementation of feeder-level solarisation.
- The eligibility for participation in the centralised tender has also been amended to allow a joint venture of manufacturer of solar pump, panel, and solar pump controller with integrators to bid.
- But the fact is that manufacturers lack workforce in the field and are dependent on local integrators for this purpose, which has caused delay in installation of solar pumps.
Challenges
- Consensus between the Centre and States is the key to the success of this decentralised solar power scheme.
- Any reform in India’s power space cannot take place unless there is consensus between the Centre, States and stakeholders.
- Till then, it will be like a half-baked cake.
- According to the Ministry, India has 30 million agriculture pumps, of which, 22 million are electric and eight million are diesel operated.
- Electricity for agriculture is highly subsidised and is often termed as the main cause for rapid groundwater depletion and poor financial position of DISCOMs.
- Annual electricity consumption for agriculture is around 200 billion units, which is 18 per cent of total electricity consumption.
- Covid-19 did slow the progress during first half of 2020-21, but now its on track again.
- For effective implementation and serious participation by stakeholders, the scheme should be more attractive in terms of benchmark prices in view of the challenges on account of higher costs of implementation and comprehensive maintenance.
Conclusion
- The Scheme will have substantial environmental impact in terms of savings of CO2 emissions.
- All three components of the Scheme combined together are likely to result in saving of about 27 million tonnes of CO2 emission per annum.
- Further, Component-B of the Scheme on standalone solar pumps may result in saving of 1.2 billion litters of diesel per annum and associated savings in the foreign exchange due to reduction of import of crude oil.
- The scheme has direct employment potential.
- Besides increasing self-employment, the proposal is likely to generate employment opportunity equivalent to 6.31 lakh job years for skilled and unskilled workers.
Introduction
- The National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), an autonomous institution of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), is the apex National R&D institution in the field of Solar Energy.
- NISE is organizing “Suryamitra” skill development programmes in collaboration with State Nodal Agencies, at various locations across the country.
- The programme aims to develop the skills of youth, considering the opportunities for employment in the growing Solar Energy Power project’s installation, operation & maintenance in India and abroad.
- The Suryamitra Programme is also designed to prepare the candidates to become new entrepreneurs in Solar Energy sector.
- The Suryamitra Skill Development Programmes are sponsored by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India.
Eligibility criteria
The candidates with the following qualifications are eligible.
Essential qualification
The candidate should be 10th pass and ITI in Electrician /Wireman/Electronics Mechanic/Fitter/ Sheet Metal, not below 18 years.
Preferable Qualification
- The candidates with Diploma in Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics branches will be preferred.
- Candidates with electrician certificate and experience shall also be preferred.
The Engineering Graduates and persons with other higher qualification are not eligible to apply.
During the selection of trainees, special emphasis to be given to the persons coming from rural background, unemployed youth, women, SC/ST candidates.
Persons with higher qualifications like degree in any discipline or higher are strictly not eligible
Duration
- The duration of this residential skill development program is 600 hrs (approx 90 days).
- This is the residential program and it is free which includes boarding and lodging.
- Suryamitra Skill Development Programmes are sponsored by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Govt. of India.
Seats
- Presently, there shall be 30 seats for each batch of training program.
- At the end of the course, proper assessment shall be made and certificates shall be issued.
Admission
- The State Nodal Agencies of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the host institute will advertise about the batches of the program including dates and the venue of the training in the print and/or electronic media.
- The final selection of the trainees for the program shall be made by host institute and the details of the proposed participants must be communicated to NISE/concerned SNA before the commencement of the program.
- During the selection of trainees, special emphasis to be given to the trainees coming from rural background, unemployed, women candidates, SC/ST candidates.
Teaching and Practical Work
- The main curriculum of teaching would be as per the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) approved Module-5 which is attached with the Guidelines.
- The training program is residential with a clear daily time table which would preferable include early morning physical exercise such as Yoga/PT etc.
- The first hour of the day may be utilized for class-room lectures.
- The practical hours may be utilized for hands on exercise in the lab sites, Experiments, class room exercises, software simulations if any, and to conduct the regular quizzes/class test and industrial visits.
- For experiments/field visit, the batch may be divided into multiple groups depending on the availability of facility.
- Motivational sessions (1 hr. duration each) shall be conducted once every two weeks.
- The host institute shall provide one set of uniform to all the Suryamitra participants. Participants must attend the session in proper uniforms only.
- A T-shirt (Grey color) with NISE logo and a pant (Yellow Color) for both male/female.
- The jacket, safety helmets and boots must be provided to all participants, and may be retained by the host institute after the training.
- Each participant/group shall be given an access to proper toolkits for working in the lab/site.
- Each modules of a session guides the trainer to prepare the materials for that particular session.
- The trainer is free to opt for any references and, training methodology/slides, provided the objectives in the sessions are covered in full length.
- The preferred medium of instruction would be the respective local language, but though Hindi and English may also be preferred depending on the demand from the class.
- The trainer/institute may also conduct a class test/quiz at the end of each session as a part of continuous assessment.
- The criteria/pattern of conducting these quizzes and tests can be decided by the trainer.
- Also, each day may preferably start with the recap of the previous day’s sessions.
- Trainers are requested to give sufficient home works to the participants during the weekend.
Attendance
- Every teaching/practical staff member handling a class will take attendance till the last instruction day of the training program and the records will be kept with the organizing institution.
- The trainees are normally expected to attend 100% theory and practical classes/workshop practices.
- However, no participants shall be allowed to be awarded certificate at the end of training unless he/she has 90% attendance in total.
Fee Structure
- No fee will be charged from the trainees.
- However, the trainees will make their own arrangement for joining the training and going back.
- Any amount collected as security deposit must be refunded at the end of the course and need to be in the proper records.
- The boarding and lodging of the trainees will be provided by the organizing institution.
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide Rs 300 per trainee for 30 trainees for 90 days which amounts to Rs 8.10 Lakhs.
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide course fee to the institute at the rate of Rs 25/- per hour x 30 participants x 600 hours which amounts to Rs 4.50 Lakhs.
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide assessment charges for 30 trainees @ Rs 800/- which amounts to Rs 0.24 Lakhs.
Assessment of Trainees
The final examination consisting of written test, practical examination shall be conducted at the end of the three months by the Skill Council for Green Jobs or NCVT.
Industrial visit
During first two months of suryamitra program, at least 3 visits to medium or large industry to know power transmission, distribution, loads, cabling etc. and one visit to 33 kV substations must be planned.
Employment aspects
At the end of the suryamitra program, the host institute may arrange for placement of the “Suryamitra” by inviting, solar industries, EPC companies, marketing companies, large contractors working with Transco, Discoms etc. Maximum number of the participants must be provided employment at the end of the program. Host institute may coordinate with SNA’s to invite companies for the placement.
Suryamitra mobile app
As part of Suryamitra programme, NISE has developed a GPS based mobile Application (known as Suryamitra Mobile APP) which allows the services of trained “Suryamitras” to the various end users of Solar applications across India at their door steps.
