India, UAE & France Trilateral Cooperation Initiative

• In a trilateral cooperation initiative in the areas of business, energy, and defence, India joined the UAE and France.
• India, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently decided to join forces to cooperate on combating climate change and protecting biodiversity, defence planning, prevention of infectious illnesses, and developing nuclear and solar energy.
• At a meeting held in New York on September 2022 during the United Nations General Assembly, the concept for this alliance was first brought forth.

Major Highlights of the Trilateral Initiative:

• It will act as a platform to encourage the development and implementation of joint initiatives in the energy sector, with a focus on solar and nuclear energy.
• Additionally, the programme would support efforts to combat climate change and safeguard biodiversity, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
• Under the auspices of India's Mission LiFE, the three parties wished to collaborate in the area of circular economy.
• Along with collaborating on defence, fighting infectious illnesses, and fostering collaboration in international health organisations including the World Health Organization, Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, and Unitaid, the three nations have also pledged to work together.
• The three nations will also look for ways to work together practically to implement the "One Health" philosophy and to encourage the growth of regional capacity for biomedical innovation and production in underdeveloped nations.
• The three nations also decided to intensify their collaboration through projects like the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership and the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, both of which are led by India and France.

India project for clean energy at international platform:

International Solar Alliance (ISA):

• The goal of ISA is to aggregate demand for solar finance, technology, innovation, research and development, and capacity building in order to scale up solar energy and lower the cost of solar power generation.

"One Sun, One World, One Grid" (OSOWOG):

• It is based on the idea of constructing and expanding interregional energy systems to distribute solar energy globally. It may be the answer to the majority of our current issues with the world's energy supply.

India's pledge during the COP26 summit in Glasgow:

• to increase India's capacity for non-fossil energy to 500 GW by 2030.
• to reduce India's carbon intensity by more than 45% by the year 2030.
• By 2070, India will reach the goal of having net zero carbon emissions.

India engagement with France and UAE:

France:

• In 2005, India and a French company entered into a technology-transfer agreement to build six Scorpene submarines in India's Malegaon dockyards.
• Additionally, an intergovernmental agreement between India and France was inked in 2016 under which France promised to pay India 60,000 crore rupees for 36 Rafale fighter fighters.
• The International Solar Alliance is being developed in collaboration with France and India.
• France has decided to take part in India's 2025 Venus mission.

UAE:

• Economic Partnership: India and the UAE signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022 with the intention of doubling their bilateral commerce to $100 billion in five years.
• Additionally, India and the UAE are debating how to increase non-oil trade in rupees, which will support the internationalisation of the rupee.
• With a projected value of about US$ 28 billion for the years 2021–2022, UAE is India's second-largest export market (after the US).
• India will be the second-largest trading partner for the UAE in 2021, with a total trade volume of about USD 45 billion (non-oil trade).

PM KUSUM SCHEME

• By March 2026, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will have installed 30,000 MW of solar power capacity in rural India under (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam UtthamMahabhiyan)PM KUSUM.

About PM KUSUM:

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) introduced the PM KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam UtthanMahabhiyan) Scheme in 2019. Its goal was for the nation to install solar pumps, grid-connected solar power plants, and other renewable energy sources.

• One of the biggest programs in the world to give clean energy to more than 3.5 million farmers by the Indian government's under PM-KUSUM program. By solarizing their agricultural pumps, this would be accomplished.
• By offering farmers the choice to install solar power projects on their deserted fields, the KUSUM program would increase their income by allowing them to sell extra power to the grid.
• The PM-KUSUM project has the potential to completely transform India's rural economy and ensure the country's energy security.

Components of the PM-KUSUM:

• 10,000 MW of decentralised, grid-connected, ground-mounted renewable energy facilities make up Component-A.

• Two million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps will be installed as Component B.
• Component-C: Solarization of 1.5 million solar-powered irrigation pumps that are connected to the grid.

Principal goals of PM KUSUM:

• Agricultural sector de-dieselization ensuring farmers' energy and water security

• Increasing farmers' income
• reducing pollution to the environment.

Characteristics of the plan:

• 1.75 million off-grid agricultural solar pumps were initially part of a distribution strategy for the national government.

• About 10,000 MW of solar pumps will be installed on the farmers' unused land.
• These pumps' extra electricity can be sold to the DISCOMs, or state electricity distribution corporations.
• To purchase this electricity, the DISCOMs will be able to get subsidies.
• Farmers will be able to purchase solar pumps with a 60% subsidy.

Advantage;

• States will benefit from the program's promotion of distributed solar energy generation and reduction of transmission losses.

• It may be possible for state governments to spend less on irrigation subsidies in this way.
• In addition to that, the plan will assist States in achieving their RPOs (renewable purchase obligation) goals.
• Farmers will benefit from selling their excess electricity because this will encourage them to use groundwater reasonably and effectively.
• Through the provision of reliable water supplies through solar water pumps, both off-grid and grid-connected, this may also offer farmers water security.
• Energy accessibility and security: The plan would make sure that there is enough local solar or other renewable energy-based electricity available to supply agricultural pump sets and rural load centres, which need power primarily during the day.
• Less transmission losses: As a result of these power plants' decentralised location closer to agricultural loads or electrical substations, STUs and DISCOMs will experience less transmission loss. Additionally, the plan will assist the DISCOMs in meeting their RPO goal.
• Spending will be cut since solar pumps will eliminate the need for diesel to power irrigation systems and give farmers a dependable source of irrigation.

The concern of the scheme:

• Logistics Problem: The domestic availability of the equipment itself is a problem. Pumps are not a problem for domestic vendors, but solar pumps are still hard to come by.

• Additionally, the domestic cell sourcing has to be increased by solar equipment vendors due to the tight DCR (Domestic Content Requirements). However, local cell production capacity is insufficient.
• Small and marginal farmers are left out: Small and marginal farmers have mostly been forgotten about because the programme is focused on pumps with capacity of 3 HP and above.
• Due to the fact that the majority of farmers—nearly 85% of them—are small and marginal farmers, solar pumps do not reach them.
• Water Table Depletion: As a result of energy subsidies, the ongoing cost of electricity is so low that farmers continue to pump water, causing the water table to decline.
• In a solar installation, upgrading to greater capacity pumps in the event that the water table drops becomes more challenging because you will need to add new, pricey solar panels.
• Financial: Farmers may be reluctant to feed in excess power when selling water or irrigating additional land are more appealing prospects, and there are doubts about their economic feasibility in the midst of significant farm subsidies.
• In addition, many farmers are unable to obtain bank loans without collateral.

Way forward

Bring States Together:

• The viability of this decentralised solar power system depends on agreement between the Center and the States.

• Any power reform in India cannot be implemented without agreement from the Center, States, and stakeholders. It will be like a half-baked cake until then.

Sustainable agriculture:

• In addition to using solar energy, farmers should transition to drip irrigation, which increases agricultural output while reducing water and energy use.

Profitable Solar Energy Pricing:

• Considering the difficulties posed by increased implementation and comprehensive maintenance costs, the scheme should be more appealing in terms of benchmark rates for effective implementation and significant stakeholder participation.

Streamline land regulations by working with other departments:

• Leasing or converting agricultural property for non-agricultural uses, such as the production of solar energy, will move more quickly as a result.

Unique Solutions:

• Encourage creative approaches to funding farmer contributions.

• Smart solutions: Engaging with farmers and implementing smart technologies like smart transformers and metres can foster confidence.

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