Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday stated that the Centre is planning to set up 10,000 solar-based water systems in 78 districts, which are affected by Maoist violence.

The plan is in a bid to solve the drinking water woes of people in the Left-Wing Effected (LWE) districts, which are administered through Integrated Action Plan (IAP).

For a change, farmers in Bihar may well look up to the Sun now than cloud. Awadhesh Kumar, a resident of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s native village Kalyan Bigaha under Nalanda, had a different kind of irrigation experience this month, with his fields experiencing the functioning of a solar photo voltaic pumpset.

The experiment was meant to give a message to the state government that has been grappling with acute power shortage and hence cannot offer adequate electricity for irrigation. The state generates only 200 MW power and needs 2500 MW during peak hours.

Says agriculture has been affected severely because of the imposition of power cut. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has called for the use of solar-powered farm pump sets to tide over the problem of power shortage in rural areas.

Stating that agriculture had been affected severely because of the imposition of power cut, the party, in its document on agriculture, stressed the need for tapping solar energy. Steps should be taken for the distribution of solar powered-farm pump sets at concessional rates.

Banks have gradually increased investments in clean and renewable-energy technology, which was beyond conventional banking a few years ago.

Total investments in the alternative energy sector stood at Tk 71 crore till November 2011, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data. Of the investment, BB refinanced Tk 25 crore from its Tk 200 crore fund and the rest was lent by banks.

Trust Bank financed Tk 15 crore to set up 500 biogas plants in Gazipur, Manikganj, Natore, Tangail and Barisal in less than two years. The bank aims to take the total number of plants to 1,000 by June.

VELLORE/ THIRUVANNAMALAI: The unscheduled power cuts prevailing across the state have led to the convergence of a focused demand for the early commissioning of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) by representatives from industries, political parties and farmers’ bodies.

As the demand for the commissioning of the plant gets vociferous, the agitators strongly believe that KKNPP will be a panacea for the present power crisis.

BSES Yamuna Power (BYP) has, for the first time, introduced Renewal Energy Assisted Pump (REAP) in the Indian capital. It can become a powerful energy and water solution for many users in power starved South Asia including Nepal. The solar energy based water pump will help meet needs of both rural and urban water users who want off-grid water supply for irrigation and other purposes.

AGARTALA: Aiming to provide energy facility to the far-flung places, the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) has decided to install 34 small solar power plants across the state.

Out of total plants, 25 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and boarding houses situated in rural areas where convention power supply is not feasible will get solar energy facility within next few months.

Ranchi, Sept. 11: The sun will help supply safe drinking water in Jharkhand’s hinterland from November this year, as the state government hopes to kick-start its ambitious project of solar-powered hand pumps. An initiative of the state drinking water and sanitation department under the Centre’s National Rural Drinking Water Programme, top Indian companies are evincing interest in it. S. Narayan, department chief engineer (programme management unit) said as many as 12 companies had so far bid for the job. They are hoping to get more contenders in the next one week.

Farmers in Haryana’s Rohtak district are offered a solar pump costing Rs 8.25 lakh at just Rs 3.28 lakh to irrigate their fields under a Centrally subsidised programme. Even this may not tempt farmers, given the low returns from agriculture. Despite heavy subsidies the sale of solar devices has not picked up. For one, solar energy-producing devices are expensive, requiring a large one-time investment. Not many have such ready cash to spare. Farmers with low incomes are averse to experimenting with clean energy. The investment-return ratio has to be in their favour.

Perhaps for the first time, the district authorities have launched a scheme to provide solar energy-based irrigation pump sets to the farmers. The pump worth around Rs 8.25 lakh each will be available at a cost of just Rs 3.28 lakh after a 60 per cent subsidy paid by the Union Government. This technology will help the farmers to overcome the problem of power shortage as the beneficiary will not have to depend on the power supply anymore to irrigate the field.