Rajasthan Opens PM-KUSUM Online Land Registration Portal

Under Component C of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), Rajasthan has created the Saur Krishi Ajivika Yojna (SKAY) to encourage the development of decentralised solar projects at load centers with primarily agricultural usage in rural areas.

By enabling farmers and landowners to lease out their unused or unproductive land on a predetermined lease basis for the construction of solar installations, SKAY hopes to make use of the state’s considerable land resources. Farmers can register their land to be leased out for solar projects on a special internet site created by the state’s distribution firms (DISCOMs). Additionally, project developers can sign up on the portal to connect with the registered farmers.

The webpage will serve as an intermediary so that interested farmers and developers can work together to find land for a solar power plant using the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model, preferably within a 5 km radius of designated 33/11 kV substations.

DISCOMs have identified 33/11 kV substations with a high percentage of agricultural users on their 11 kV feeders and have evaluated the substation-wise solar capacity that can be placed nearby. There will be a list of identified substations with capacity and other crucial data available on the portal.

This portal is a place where interested parties can apply to register their land. Along with a joint land survey and other supporting documents, the applications will be verified by the field office. The DISCOMs will put out tenders to choose RESCO developers for putting up solar projects once a broad connectivity diagram from the land to the substation has been created.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy would provide developers with central financial assistance (CFA) if they were chosen (MNRE). For 25 years, DISCOMs will purchase electricity at the determined levelized pricing.

During the project installation and commissioning phase, which lasts nine months after the contract is awarded, developers are required to pay the landowner the agreed-upon lease rent sum. The applicable land lease rent will be paid by DISCOMs directly to the landowner. After the solar installation is put into service, they will be able to recover the costs from the developer’s monthly energy payments.

According to data presented in Parliament earlier this year, Rajasthan had the most installations of solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM program. Out of the 76,210 solar pumps that were approved, 44,340 were installed in Rajasthan. Haryana came in second with 36,793 installed out of 39,326 approved solar pumps. With 10,131 of the 12,000 solar pumps approved to be installed in Punjab, the province came in third on the list.

It is interesting that the highest installations and success have been seen in Component C, or off grid solar installations only, for the KUSUM scheme.  Component A, or ground mounted solar has been an abject failure, even as some progress has been made on Component C that involves grid connected solar pumps.