DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Punjab government is mulling over incentivizing farmers to produce surplus solar energy through solar pumps installed for agriculture use, New and Renewable Energy Sources minister Aman Arora informed state assembly on Tuesday.

He was replying to a question raised by Naresh Puri, MLA from Sujanpur Assembly constituency during the question hour in Punjab Assembly here.

Arora said this move would empower the state farmers, besides bolstering the renewable energy sector and contribute to a sustainable future of the state. Under this proposed policy, farmers would be compensated for excess solar energy generated beyond their own consumption needs.

This surplus energy will be fed into the grid, contributing to the state's energy supply and reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels for a greener and more sustainable Punjab, he said.

"By empowering farmers to become active participants in the renewable energy sector, we are not only promoting clean energy but also creating new economic opportunities for our farmers," said Arora while adding that the state-owned Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) will install 20,000 solar pumps for agriculture purposes and out of which, over 5,000 solar pumps have already been allocated to the farmers in the state. Arora also shared that 4,474 government buildings have been equipped with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with a capacity of 34 MW solar.

These rooftop solar panels are generating over 4.90 crore units of electricity annually. Further, the PEDA has planned 100 MW capacity solar power plants to be set up on the government buildings in the next two financial years.

He further highlighted that the grid connected rooftop solar PV power plants generate power at the consumer point, which helps reduce network losses in distribution.

The electricity generated also aids in bridging the demand and supply gap, enabling the state-owned power utility to meet its renewable purchase obligation targets as specified by the Electricity Regulatory Commissions. The PV grid connected systems generate power during the daytime and feed excess power back into the grid, he added.

Meanwhile, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond said an FIR has been registered at Police Station Ferozepur City after a departmental investigation revealed the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 1.80 crore from grants received under the 15th Finance Commission and allocated to Block Samiti Ferozepur.

He further informed that the case has been handed over to the vigilance department.

(editor@dailyworld.in)