Harnessing Solar energy, Options for India

Table 16: Cost Comparison between Diesel and Solar PV Pump of 1 HP Rating (`)*
Capital
cost
Operating cost
/year
Net present
cost
Cost per
kWh
Solar PV 259,702 1,500 293,793 8.6
Grid electricity 30,000 2,181 79,559 2.3
Diesel at `42 25,000 20,557 405,578 11.9
Diesel at `50 25,000 24,187 471,575 13.9
Diesel at `60 25,000 28,724 554,072 16.3
Note: * Motor rating = 1 HP (230 ft [70.1 m] depth), subject to variations with type of pump used, number of
stages, flow rate, etc.
Table 17: Cost Comparison between Diesel and Solar PV Pump of 2 HP Rating (`)*
Capital
cost
Operating cost
/year
Net present
cost
Cost per
kWh
Solar PV 559,314 1,600 595,677 7.6
Grid electricity 30,000 3,168 102,008 1.3
Diesel at `42 25,000 45,513 859,790 11.0
Diesel at `50 25,000 53,778 1,011,871 12.9
Diesel at `60 25,000 64,233 1,201,972 15.3
Note: * Motor rating = 2 HP (530 ft [161.5 m] depth), subject to variations with type of pump used, number of
stages in case of a submersible pump, flow rate, etc.
The key barrier to the large-scale dissemination of solar PV water pumps is the high capital cost
incurred by farmers compared to the much lower capital cost of conventional pumps. Solar PV is a
competitive option in the face of diesel, its adoption being contingent on the ease of access to
subsidies. Another factor to be considered is the space requirement for the installation of a solar PV
pump set. For every kW p installed, a space of 10 m 2 is necessary. For example, in order to install a 10
HP pump, 74.6 m 2 of land would be necessary. This factor limits adoption by small-scale farmers to
whom land availability is a major concern.
If it is assumed that a moderate 50% of the total diesel pumps in India (of the 9 million pump sets)
are replaced by solar PV, the total potential for savings in diesel fuel will be approximately 185
billion kg per year (Table 18). In terms of carbon dioxide, approximately 470 billion kg could be
abated annually.
Solar Photovoltaic Applications CSTEP | Page 77