ANNOUNCEMENTS
Access to energy and its services are vital to both the social and economic development of the country. Based on this context, an attempt has been made to understand the impact of 2 applications: Solar Powered Irrigation Pump system and Solar Micro-grid system, on the lives of rural people. The capital investment for solar pumps definitely being higher for any farmer to get easily convinced about the advantages it holds over its conventional counterparts, a financial assistance in the form of subsidies (either from Central or State of both) was the reason mainly behind adoption of solar pumps in the country till now. Absence of both these assistances in West Bengal was countered by the introduction of an innovative business model, which laid the base for transition to solar pumps in the state. An attempt to understand the challenges involved in the adoption of solar pumps for irrigation has been made through field visits and surveys, while a cost benefit analysis was carried out to gauge the feasibility of solar pumps over conventional pumps used for irrigation along with an impact assessment study of the solar pumps installed at various villages in West Bengal. Analysis showed that use of solar pumps installed even for six months or a year has improved the productivity of the farmer, thereby improving his savings, which helps him in quickly finishing off his instalments against the loan.
The second study involves baseline survey of a certain village in West Bengal, which, though has gained access to electricity, but many are still devoid of the reliable, affordable and a quality access, due to reasons stated in the later part. Through the survey analysis, an attempt has been made to gauge the impact on the lives of the households and community through the intervention of a solar micro-grid system, a solar pump, solar drinking water and Solar Information, Communication and Technology (Solar ICT) Centre.
