Solar modules to operate pump sets in Tamil Nadu

No more power woes to operate pump sets for farmers in Tamil Nadu. The state government plans to supply five high-power photovoltaic pumping systems with a capacity of 4,800 WP to farmers across the state. In the first phase of the project, 2,000 such systems will be installed in drought-hit districts.

“In Tamil Nadu, farmers face power outages constantly and this affects their crops a lot. This will be implemented in all the regions in a phased manner,” a senior official from the agriculture engineering division, a wing of the Agriculture Department, said. Though each of these units would cost about Rs 5 lakh, farmers need to pay only Rs 1 lakh, with the balance being covered by the government as subsidy. The solar photovoltaic module (SPV) will be coming with a 25-year warranty and there will be complete maintenance for five years.

 “We have floated a global tender where the selected firm will enter into an agreement with farmer beneficiaries for the comprehensive maintenance of the system, supply of spares, after successfully installing and commissioning the SPV pumping systems in the farmer’s field,” the official told Deccan Herald. The government is likely to fix a short deadline for the successful bidder to execute the project.