scheme for the conservation of energy in agriculture sector

Dec 24- The Haryana Government has implemented an ambitious scheme for the conservation of energy in agriculture sector.

Under the scheme, financial assistance at the rate of Rs.400 per HorsePower (HP) is being provided to the farmers who install ISI/at leastfour star rated pump sets in their tube wells.

While disclosing this here today, Mr. Mahender Partap Singh, Powerand Renewable Energy Minister, Haryana said that up to March 2009nearly 4,056 tube wells had been upgraded by installing ISI pump setsunder the scheme by providing financial assistance to the tune ofRs.1.76 crore.

During the current financial year, a provision of Rs.92.50 lakh hadbeen made for providing subsidy to the farmers on installation of ISImark/at least four star rated pump sets, he added.He said that farmers in the State were using the local make pumps,rather than ISI marked/star rated pump sets. About 30 to 35 per centelectricity could be saved by replacing these local make pump setswith ISI marked/star rated pump sets and by installing the optimumcapacity pump sets.

Besides, 10 to 15 per cent of electricity couldalso be saved by installing ISI marked reflex valve, by replacing thesteel pipe of rough surface with RPVC pipe, by using long bend inplace of 90 degree sharp bend and by keeping the delivery pipe at aheight of three feet from ground level.Overloading of feeders, long length of undersized secondary lines andpoor selection, installation, maintenance and operation of theelectrical motor pump sets caused high line losses and large voltagedrops, which resulted in frequent motor burnouts and as a resultfarmers had to bear additional costs for getting their motors rewound,said Mr. Mahender Partap Singh, adding that to overcome this problemfarmers tended to install low efficiency motors, which could notwithstand large current.

To ensure higher water flow rate, they optedfor motors of higher capacity, which consume more power.He said that about 4,000MW of power was generating in the State byusing conventional sources and 35 per cent of power was being suppliedto the agriculture sector at highly subsidised flat rate of Rs.35 perHorse Power per month.

The Minister said, “The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Governmentof India has initiated an Agricultural Demand Side ManagementProgramme in Haryana to upgrade the efficiency of the pump setsthrough Public Private Partnership mode at district Kaithal andKurukshetra. Under the programme, an Energy Service Company (ESCO)would be identified which will invest in energy efficiency measures onrural pump set feeders on which supply quality enhancement i.e. highvoltage distribution system have already been carried out.

Thisintervention will lead to lower energy supply on the feeders andaccordingly lower the subsidy burden on the State exchequer.”He pointed out that the part of the savings in the subsidy would bepaid to the ESCO on an annual basis to pay for their investment inpump set upgradation/replacement initially. Schneider Electric ConzervIndia Pvt. Ltd. (SECIPL) and Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PWC) had beenselected for providing consulting services for successful completionof the Agricultural Demand Side Management Programme at 15 selectedfeeders of Kaithal and Kurukshetra district.

This would result inreducing the peak load.Similarly, the Department would also explore the option of conservingenergy in agriculture sector through ESCO route, he added.