Village level- Solar Based Agri Solutions at Kosagumuda
South Odisha is fortunate to have large solar energy potential for most of the days of the year. To ensure clean energy access for economic development we started the activity in S.Keragaon village of Kosagumuda block in Nabarangpur district of Odisha. The village consists of 195 households (all farmers). The objectives of this activity were to provide single solar solutions to villagers for irrigation and agri-processing. Pic – Millet machine at Bissam Cuttack, Rayagada
Harsha Trust started by installing a mini solar micro grid of 20 kw capacity to provide energy solutions for River Lift Irrigation, a Sugar Cane Crusher and a Paddy Processing Unit in the village. Presently, two river lift irrigation systems, one sugar cane crusher machine and a single paddy procesing unit is running in the said village with the energy generated from a single solar micro grid. 39 households reap the benefits of solar irrigation and have initiated off season vegetable cultivation in 43 acres of land. The solar- powered sugar cane crusher machine cuts labour and drugdgery at the farmers’ level besides eliminating the use of extensive and polluting fossil fuels. Now suagar cane farmers are able to produce jaggery which results in enhanced income for sugar cane growers in the village. Similarly, the rice processing unit has solved their problems of rice milling and has cut expenditure considerably.
The technology for solar energy based equipment here has been supported by Schneider Electric India Foundation; the technical team of Patneswari Agri Producer Company Ltd (PAPCL), one of our Producer Companies, has installed and will provide maintenance and all necessary service to the farmers for the next five years. An on- line data logger process to monitor the whole project has been set up by
The technology for solar energy based equipment here has been supported by Schneider Electric India Foundation; the technical team of Patneswari Agri Producer Company Ltd (PAPCL), one of our Producer Companies, has installed and will provide maintenance and all necessary service to the farmers for the next five years. An on- line data logger process to monitor the whole project has been set up by by Schneider Electric India Foundation.
We have also covered 100 commercial broiler farms under our solar lighting program in the four districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi..