Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) in Gujarat – Solar Panel Scheme for Farmers

Gujarat government has launched Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) on 23 June 2018. Under this scheme, farmers can use solar energy for irrigation purposes and can also sell the surplus power via grid. For installation of solar panels, farmers will only have to pay 5% of the total cost. Central & State govt. will provide subsidy of 60% while for the rest 35%, the state govt. will provide low cost loans to the farmers for 7 years.

Farmers can generate power through these solar panels and can sell it to the state government. Govt. will procure electricity at a rate of Rs. 7 per unit for 7 years while at Rs. 3.50 for the remaining 18 years. SKY scheme is expected to cover 12,400 farmers in 33 districts and will provide them with solar power through 137 feeders.

Latest Update – Gujarat CM launches the ambitious Suryashakti Kisan Yojana on 19 October 2018, a power harvesting scheme for Gujarat farmers from Bardoli. This scheme enables farmers to generate electricity by installing solar panels in their farms for their captive consumption and also earn from selling the surplus power.

Initially, the state govt. will implement the pilot project of solar power generation scheme with an outlay of Rs. 870 crore. To produce 1,42,000 horse power of energy for irrigation through water pumps will require 177 megawatts of solar power generation in the pilot stage.

Suryashakti Kisan Yojana – SKY Scheme in Gujarat

The state govt. has launched the pilot project and will implement this scheme soon in the entire state. Farmers will get included in the next phase. The main aim is to harness the solar energy and to put it in use to generate power. Now farmers can generate electricity and utilize it for irrigation purpose and sell the additional energy via grid. The important features and highlights of this scheme are as follows:-

• Solar Panels Purchase Cost – Out of the total cost, farmers will only have to pay 5%. 60% would be given as subsidy amount while 35% would be given as low interest rate loans for 7 years. The loan repayment time is fixed at 7 years.
• Selling Additional Power – Farmers can sell the additional power to state government. For first 7 years, govt. will purchase power at a cost of Rs. 7 per unit while govt. will purchase the power at Rs. 3.5 per unit for next 18 years.
• This scheme will provide a huge relief to the farmers and will also generate additional income. Farmers will be able to recover the cost of investment within the next 8 to 18 months.
• Till date, farmers are getting electricity for 8 hours for irrigation purpose. After the successful implementation of this project, farmers will get electricity upto 12 hours. Moreover, it will also resolve the concerns of farmers of getting power supply only at night.
• Extra Earnings for the Govt. – Currently, farmers in Gujarat pay around 50 paise / unit for electricity supply for irrigation purposes. The state government spends about Rs. 4,500 – 5,000 crore per year as subsidy on electricity for irrigation purpose. This subsidy cost can be brought down by proper implementation of SKY Scheme.

Govt. is making every possible effort to install 100 giga watts (GW) of energy capacity from solar power till 2022. This move will contribute towards the realization of PM Modi’s vision of “Doubling Farmers Income by 2022”.