Social and Economic Impact Assessment of Solar Water Pumping System on Farmers in Nagpur District of Maharashtra State of India

Abstract

In India, farmers depend on variable rainfall and groundwater for irrigation. Load shedding and high diesel cost are the barriers for regular watering of crops. Solar photovoltaic water pumping system (SPVWPS) is a better sustainable option, but the high capital cost is hindering widespread applications. The Maharashtra state government distributed SPVWPS to marginal farmers (Whose land holding is less than 5 acres) and are grid isolated, providing subsidies as high as 95%. Total, 8959 pumps are distributed till November 2018 in the whole Maharashtra state with 210 in Nagpur district only. Current work assesses the impact of the use of SPVWPS on the livelihoods of farmers, their social and economic condition by conducting a survey. The aim of the study is to evaluate the health, reliability and durability of SPVWPS. An effort has been made to understand the grassroots level insights associated with solar pump use. The field research was carried on by interviewing farmers. Questionnaires were created in order to get useful data required easily. By splitting up the questionnaires into different areas, the results gave a general impression of the farmer’s daily challenges and troubles. The authors surveyed total 25 sites from 17 villages of 8 Talukas of Nagpur district. Payback period value of solar pump is calculated with respect to electric and diesel pump using breakeven point analysis and found that shifting from diesel to solar pump have shorter payback period.