SunEdison has launched a solar photovoltaic (PV)-based water pump designed for the agriculture sector. Intended for use in rural environments, the water pump is available in 3HP (horsepower), 5HP, 7.5HP and 10HP variants.

The solar water pump, which will cost around Rs 6 lakh, would help increase crop yield by delivering reliable irrigation without dependence on expensive diesel fuel or intermittent electrical power supply, Pashupathy Gopalan, president, SunEdison, Asia Pacific, GCC and South Africa, said.

There are currently about half a million farmers in Tamil Nadu alone who are still awaiting power connection to irrigation pumps and the company will focus on segments like these.

"The power will be available to farmers during the day and they will not have to depend on grid power which is supplied to them only for a few hours during the night," Gopalan said.

Of the 26 million irrigation pumps in the country today, about 8 million run on diesel power with the rest using grid power. Solar pumps will help electricity supply companies, state electricity boards and surrounding communities by reducing the strain on the grid, according to Gopalan.

It would empower farmers to grow cash crops that require predictable irrigation and enable them to utilize land that they previously could not irrigate, he added.

The company has already installed 250 such systems across India.The next generation of the solar pumps, which the company is planning to launch, would supply power to farmers' houses as well, Gopalan added.