Why in news
- A report highlighted that PM-KUSUM and Rooftop Solar schemes accounted for 40% of India's total solar capacity additions in FY27 till July.
What are PM-KUSUM and Rooftop Solar Schemes?
- PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) promotes off-grid and grid-connected solar pumps and small solar power plants for farmers.
- PM Surya Ghar / Rooftop Solar schemes provide capital subsidies to residential and commercial sectors to install rooftop photovoltaic panels.
Current Trends and Implementation Factors
- Shift in composition: Decentralised solar installations are compensating for slowing grid-scale additions.
- Bottleneck in utility-scale solar: Large-scale solar projects face land acquisition hurdles and transmission corridor delays.
- Policy push: Simplified discom portal procedures and direct financial incentives have accelerated retail rooftop adoption.
Why it Matters
- Diversifies renewable energy generation away from centralized solar parks.
- Reduces discom subsidy burdens by solarising agricultural feeders.
Key terms
Feeder Level Solarisation
Installing solar plants to supply electricity directly to rural distribution agricultural feeders.
Utility-Scale Solar
Large ground-mounted solar power facilities generating electricity fed directly into the central transmission grid.
Prelims facts
- PM-KUSUM consists of three components: solarising grid-connected pumps, off-grid pumps, and mini-power plants.
Mains discussion
- Analyze how decentralised solar energy addresses grid infrastructure bottlenecks in reaching national renewable capacity targets.
Source: Economic Times