Solarising farms: PM-KUSUM C brings daytime power to Chickballapur pumpsets

In Chickballapur district, a 40-acre farm that once grew mangoes now hosts solar panels under the PM-KUSUM C scheme. The landowner, Narayan Swamy, chose to lease his plot to a private firm rather than sell it, earning ₹60,000 per acre annually for the next 25 years. The power generated feeds agricultural water pumpsets in the region, addressing the chronic issue of power cuts that plague farmers dependent on the conventional grid.

The PM-KUSUM C project is a Government of India initiative that solarises existing grid-connected agricultural water pumps. Its core objective is to provide farmers with reliable daytime electricity, eliminating disruptions caused by overloading and transmission issues.

At the Nallimaradahalli 66 kV sub-station, the project has a capacity of 13 MW, serving 3,000 farmers' pumpsets across 27 villages. Nearby, the Kundana project generates 3 MW, covering 37 villages and powering 797 pumpsets, while the Devanahalli project adds another 13 MW for 68 villages and 2,811 pumpsets.

Bescom Managing Director N. Shivashankar explained that solar power allows farmers to run borewells during the day without voltage fluctuations. He noted that drawing power from distant hydro or thermal plants overloads transmission lines, leading to frequent outages.

Installing solar panels to generate one MW requires about three-and-a-half acres of land. The minimum lease price for one acre is fixed at ₹25,000, though private landowners can negotiate higher rates based on location and proximity to sub-stations.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has sanctioned solarisation for 2.62 lakh agricultural pumpsets under Bescom, with an additional 60,000 sanctioned later. Power Purchase Agreements have been executed for projects totalling 1,159.1 MW, covering 2,79,043 pumpsets.

Some projects, like those at Kundana and Devanahalli, are built on lake beds under the Minor Irrigation Department. Panels are elevated to prevent damage from overflow during rains. Bescom is also exploring the use of deemed forest land in Chickballapur, where a survey may free up 11,000 to 12,000 hectares, including lake beds, for future projects.