Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has issued letters of award to 95 organizations for the installation of solar plants with a cumulative 9GW capacity. The solar energy generated will be used to provide 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers during the daytime.
The initiative will also create 25,000 jobs in Maharashtra and allow 40% of the agricultural feeders to be driven by solar power by 2025. Reflecting on this step, the minister announced that Maharashtra is the first state to have used solar power on such a massive scale in the agricultural sector.
The Maharashtra government currently supplies power to farmers at a subsidized rate of ₹1.25/unit, which results in an expenditure of ₹13,000 crore. The deputy chief minister explained, that the state can curtain this expenditure by switching to solar power.
Moreover, solar can help crores of families from low and marginal-income categories who work in the field after sunset.
Many prominent entities, including Reliance Industries, Megha Engineering, Avaada, SJVN Green, and Torrent Power, have secured power capacities under the scheme.
Maharashtra has taken significant steps to boost the solar energy capacity of the state. Towards the end of 2023, the state government raised the net metering cap to 5MW for rooftop solar projects.
Maharashtra is also planning to solarize 3 million homes under PM Surya Ghar Yojana. Apart from this, the state has also simplified green open access for C&I consumers.
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Resource: The Indian Express
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