The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) has relaxed provisions for ensuring the smooth implementation of the PM-KUSUM scheme aimed at the ‘solarisation’ of agriculture pumps.
The relaxation in the Commission’s Renewable Energy and Net Metering Regulations applies to Individual Pump Solarisation (IPS) under Component-C of PM-KUSUM which benefits individual farmers who own grid-connected agriculture pumps.
Charges waived
It allows solar panels under PM-KUSUM to be installed atop the residential rooftops of registered agricultural consumers, on the condition that the solar generation and agricultural connections are properly metered. Transmission and wheeling charges and charges related to open access too have been waived as a special case.
PM-KUSUM required solar panels to be deployed in a shade-free area within 15 metres of the pump house where the agricultural pump is located. In Kerala where farm holdings are small in size, the farmers live on the premises and ideal locations are usually the rooftops of their residences. In such cases, the domestic and agriculture connections are registered under the same name and no physical barrier exists between the residence and the farming area where the pump house sits.
In March, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) informed the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (Anert), the implementing agency for PM-KUSUM, that grid connectivity for such rooftop plants through the net metre of the agriculture connections cannot be permitted as it could violate the Electricity Supply Code and the Net Metering Regulations.
But the Commission has now taken the stand that solarisation of pump sets is “a win-win situation” for the KSEB and consumers. KSEB benefits from non-drawal of grid power by the highly-subsidised agricultural consumers, while the latter gains an additional income source from the surplus power exported to the grid.
PM-KUSUM targets solarisation of pumps operated on the KSEB’s LT-5A (free) tariff. The farmer uses the generated solar power to meet the irrigation needs and sells the excess solar power to the grid. The Kerala government intends to solarise at least one lakh pumps. At present, the electricity bills of more than 2.65 lakh free-tariff agriculture pumps are being paid by the State Agriculture department to the KSEB at ₹2.3 per unit. On its side, the KSEB incurs an average cost of supply of ₹7.32 per unit.
