Maharashtra to Solarise Mhaisal Lift Irrigation Scheme

• About 200 MW of electricity will certainly be generated from the solar energy installations for this project.
• The government has actually currently recognized some sites for the installation of solar energy.

The Irrigation Division of Maharashtra Government has actually started to bank on earnest use of renewable electricity to support irrigation for its farmers. In an initial of its kind effort in the state, the Mhaisal Lift Irrigation Scheme will be operated solar power. In the irrigation project, the water will be lifted from Krishna River for agriculture and also alcohol consumption objectives in Sangli and also Solapur area locations. The last two regions occur to be a rainfall shadow that receives much less rainfall annually.

The total requirement of Mhaisal Lift Irrigation System in terms of electricity has to do with 90 MW each year. The department states that summers are the peak season of its procedures. The government has already determined some websites for the installation of solar energy. Additionally, a lot of the water being channelized obtains vaporized at the same time. Hence, the department is additionally trying to find possibilities to set up photovoltaic panels on the canal channels.

The Gramin Financial institution will certainly lend concerning Rs 100 crore for the Mhaisal Irrigation project.

The Mhaisal Irrigation scheme is selected by the irrigation department on a pilot basis. The success can open the floodgates of powering irrigation facilities from renewable resources, especially from solar, offered the high irradiance in Maharashtra and also the draft vulnerable regions in the state, especially Vidarbha.

Jayant Patil, Irrigation Minister, Maharashtra Government, discussed Mhaisal Irrigation Scheme solarisation, "If the scheme is worked on solar power, it will certainly help save over Rs 60 crore in power bills each year. Currently, we are facing a power shortage. Likewise, the farmers hesitate to pay the bills for the water lifted and launched into their farms. As soon as the irrigation scheme is run on solar power, the farmers will likewise profit as it will certainly help save power bills and ultimately, the farmers will need to pay much less."

In the Mhaisal Irrigation Scheme, water is lifted to an elevation of 600 meters in a phased fashion which waters as much as 81,000 hectares of farmland. Mangalwedha tehsil of Solapur district was watered via open channels just lately.

India's largest, and also possibly the world's largest lift irrigation scheme ought to attain closure following year in Telangana, in the form of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) Lift Irrigation.