Rice is one of the most important and essential foodgrains grown in India and our country stands second worldwide in rice production. It also has the distinction of being the largest exporter of rice worldwide. Rice production in India has increased many folds from FY 1980 when the country produced 53.6 million tons to 120 million tons in FY 2020-21.
Rice is processed in numerous rice mills spread across various states in India. These rice mills constitute a major part of the agro-processing industry in India. Like any other agro-processing plant, these rice mills are dependent on motorised machinery for processing rice and hence this industry is highly dependent on energy. This energy-intensive nature of rice mills results in a very high operational cost for rice mill owners, who not only invest heavily in setting up the plant and installing the required machinery but also incur high recurring electricity charges. These electricity charges are subject to revision and increase periodically driving the operational costs of these mills even higher. Some mills also operate using diesel generators. These generators utilise expensive fuel, driving the operational costs even higher apart from causing air and sound pollution.
Solar energy presents a lucrative opportunity for rice mill owners when it comes to cutting down recurring operational costs incurred due to rising electricity prices. Rice mill owners can opt for one of the following 3 options to avail the benefits of solar energy – On-Grid, Off-Grid and Hybrid systems.
On grid system or net metering system is majorly preferred by consumers, as in this case, the consumer utilises the power that is produced by the roof-top solar power plant installed in their facility and the excess power produced is directed to the grid. This excess energy can be utilised by the consumer when the solar power plant is not functional or produces less power eg. during the nighttime or during cloudy weather conditions.
Scintilla Solar Corporation has developed many roof-top solar power plant projects for various rice mills, over the years. These mills have seen a drastic decline in electricity bills, mostly averaging the electrical tariff of 1.2 to 1.4 for the next 25 years.
Rice mills are one of the most important segments of the agro-processing industry in India and contribute extensively to our nation’s food requirements. Hence aiding this industry segment to curtail high energy costs and safeguarding them against rising energy prices is the need of the hour. Scintilla Solar Corporation is in the process of solarising this industry by proving flexible and workable price plans with a lucrative ROI. These plans cover the Designing, Erection, Procurement and Commissioning of the roof-top Solar Power Plant as well as free Operation and Maintenance for a period of five years after the plant is commissioned.