Category Archives: solar pumps

Gouduniposh is a small village in Odisha, a quintessential village having kaccha roads and huts. It is quite far, almost cut-off, from the city, with the nearest one being around 90 km away. Majority of the working population of this village is daily wage labourer, who manage to find work for only 15-20 days in a month. It has one government school where kids apparently attend school only to be able to eat the free midday meal provided in the school- such as the heart-wrenching reality of the villagers here! Not just food, but the villagers here have faced several hardships to gain access to water too- with the entire village depending on a single hand pump, or resorting to a lake far away, for their water needs.

Solution

At Claro Energy, we are focused on reducing the water woes of people living in remote villages and believe that access to water is a basic human right. This drives us to provide solutions to villagers living in villages like Gouduniposh y in the form of our solar-powered pumps. And the results speak for themselves – the village now boasts of 3 handpumps such that every household has one within 500 m! But what does this improved access to clean water mean for the villagers?

Impact

Impact on Health and well-being

An improved access to clean water ensures that lesser people, especially children, are inflicted by waterborne diseases, thus paving the way for a healthier society.

Impact on environment

Employing solar panels instead of unclean diesel to extract water has significance in terms of reduction in carbon footprint. Also, since all the villagers now do not have to rely on one lake, thus preventing it from drying up.
All these factors create a ripple effect in terms of enhanced socioeconomic and environmental status, thus truly empowering the villagers in Gouduniposh.

Impact on economic status

It also means that people can now devote less of their time to obtain water and devote it instead to income generating activities.

Impact on social status and time saving

Historically, women in villages have had to travel miles in search of water, wasting their time and energy in the process. Nearby access to water is a crucial factor in liberating them from this tiresome chore. and empowering them to allocate their time and energy to other productive activities.

We have been working to ensure a proper supply of water to this area, to at least cater to the villager’s basic needs. Claro energy has ensured that every resident has access to a 24X7 water facility.

In a developing country whose economy is centred around agriculture, and which is rapidly transitioning into the realm of renewable energy, the future of solar pumps seems brighter than ever.

This is testified by the increased impetus given by the Government of India to the widespread deployment of solar pumps- in the Budget 2018, there has been a budget allocation of Rs 48,000 crore for distributing 17.5 lakh solar pumps, and solarizing existing pumps, as part of the ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (Kusum)’ scheme. The scheme has additional objectives of setting up 10,000 MW solar plants on barren lands, besides allowing farmers to sell the surplus produced energy to state electricity. This move is a welcome step towards ensuring the financial stability of farmers, and at the same time, bolsters the government’s ambitions of integrating a vast share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix.

The potential for solar water pumps

India is blessed with an abundance of solar energy and has a massive potential to transform this into electricity- the National Institute of Solar Energy in India has determined this amount to be a whopping 750 GW. Equally massive is the presence of agriculture in the Indian economy- it employs nearly 50% of the workforce, and contributes 17.32% to India’s GDP. Thus, an intensive economic practice like this needs reliable practices that can ensure a high yield of agricultural crops, such as efficient irrigation techniques. Water pumps have emerged as a dependable mode of irrigation, and the advent of renewable energy has ensured the rapid advancement of solar water pumps. At the fore of this breakthrough is The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which has collaborated with various state governments and started promoting solar water pumps by providing various subsidies to farmers.

The majority of pumps used today are either grid-connected or run on diesel. However, remote, off-grid areas, the rising prices of diesel, as well as the environmental implications of its usage, raise several questions over the efficacy of these traditionally-powered pumps. Our nation’s economic well-being hinges on that of the rural economy, which in turn depends on agriculture, rather cost-effective agriculture. Thus, innovative solutions and ideas are the need of the hour to revamp this sector. Solar pumps can be heralded as a solution that the rural agrarian society needs- they can be used in power deficient and remote regions, and reduce diesel consumption, both necessary steps to ensure sustainability as well as a clean environment. Besides, they provide farmers with an opportunity to generate extra income by selling surplus energy. In a nutshell, solar water pumps have immense economic, societal, and environmental advantages.

Solar Energy in India: Current Scenario

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has set an ambitious target of producing 175 GW of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2022, during the recently held International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The recent news of Diu becoming the first 100% solar powered Union Territory further cements the government’s conviction towards this great cause. This enormous increase in installed solar capacity would entail a proportionate increase in jobs related to solar energy. Indeed, achieving these renewable energy goals would be a step closer towards realizing an energy-secure and sustainable future.

The Road Ahead

The government’s ambitious target to initiate wide-spread usage of solar pumps is a positive indication of the growth of the solar pump industry, which is likely to flourish in the coming years and aid in accelerating the sustainable development of our country. The immediate challenge facing the mass implementation of solar pumps is its high upfront cost, but taking into account the long-term benefits they provide, this challenge could soon be converted into a successful opportunity. Perhaps, that day isn’t far away when a solar pump in a farm is as ubiquitous as a tractor ploughing on a field!

Written By: Vinita Srinivasan

Edited By: Priyanka Pandey

The sixth edition of the Asian Entrepreneurship Award (2017 edition) was held on the Kashiwanoha campus in Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo, Japan from October 25th to October 27th 2017.

21 technology startups were selected from 15 countries and regions, mainly in Asia. They competed under the criteria of innovative business models, potential economic and social impacts, and business feasibility. Despite many worthy competitors, with truly disruptive solutions, CLARO Energy was selected as top of the crop for our work in developing an innovating in the rural agricultural sector in India.

Apart from CLARO Energy there were five other companies who were awarded. In addition to various cash prizes, winning companies will be given an unlimited plan to use the 31 VENTURES office’s co-working space managed by Mitsui Fudosan, and they can also receive support for deploying business in Japan.

AEA 2017 Winners List

First Prize	Claro Energy（India）/KARTIK WAHI, Co-Founder
Second Prize	ViSenze（Singapore）/OLIVER TAN, CEO and Co-founder
Third Prize Japan New Business Conferences President Prize	Webgears WGT（Russia）/LARISA DYDYKINA, CEO
Kashiwa-no-ha Award	Genome Clinic（Japan）/HIROKI SONEHARA, Director
Nanocarrier Kashiwa-no-ha Award	AIM GLOBAL INNOVATION（Thailand）/PANRASEE RITTHIPRAVAT, Cofounder
Audience Award	ViSenze（Singapore）/OLIVER TAN, CEO and Co-founder

Mr. Michael Arafant, founding chairman of Fusion Systems Japan, said, “Claro has had a great social impact, trying to deliver a simple solution to many people, the entrepreneurial spirit being demonstrated. The winning company can use the co-working space of “31 Ventures”, a venture exchange base handled by Mitsui Fudosan co-hosting AEA for 2 years free of charge.

CLARO Energy emerged as a winner as because of its commitment to innovate for rural Indian farmers with irrigation solutions that rely on renewable energy. CLARO, over the years, has brought significant change in the lives of farmers and others affected by water scarcity. The installation of more than 3000 solar pumps across 16 states speaks for itself.

About AEA

The Asian Entrepreneurship Award was set up to reward and encourage young entrepreneurs who make the best use of technology and creativity to solve various problem. This award was introduced by the Japanese government in 2012, and since then the award function brings big and small, private and public enterprises, government and educational institutions together in one single frame to propagate a transformation in Asia. AEA aims to construct an ecosystem which will bring innovation to the entire world. It is a platform which help young entrepreneurs from all over the world to meet and inspire each other.

Important links:

https://newswitch.jp/p/10868

https://japan.cnet.com/article/35109586/

AEA2017 Winners