The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has revised the benchmark costs of solar pumps for FY20. The latest bench-marking comes at a time when the government is preparing to install 17.5 lakh stand-alone solar pumps and connect 10 lakh existing agriculture pumps with solar power through the recently approved Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme.
Since all component purchased through the scheme will have to be manufactured domestically, it opens up a potential market of over 8,000 MW for domestic solar panels makers who are currently struggling to sustain themselves against cheaper imported products flooding the market. The MNRE has sub-divided the costs of the solar pumps into seven categories according to load bearing capacities ranging from 0.5 horse power (HP) to 10 HP. Each load category is further split into the different varieties of solar pumps, specifying separate costs for surface and submersible types. The solar pump price list for FY19 notified by MNRE had only four broad segments.
