Oonnati transforms agriculture with sustainable solar irrigation, empowering farmers to grow more with less.
Oonnati is a Pay Per Use affordable solar irrigation service. Water is sold per litre to any farmer with land close to the solar pump, after paying a small membership fee. Oorja deploys solar BLDC and AC submersible pumps at the farm which can typically irrigate up to 25 acres of land per pump, and sells water as a service at fixed tariffs. Water is metered using a flowmeter and sold on a volumetric basis (per m3 of water delivered) to ensure a fair price to farmers. Each pump allows typically 15-20 farmers with adjoining farmland to access irrigation water year-round on demand. This removes the upfront cost barrier for users, as they do not have to invest in solar irrigation infrastructure and pay only according to their water consumption.
In India, 300 million farmers rely on groundwater electric or diesel pumps to irrigate their land. 9 million irrigation pumps are diesel based, consuming 4 billion litres of diesel per year. Oorja’s community solar pumping service – Oonnati – provides a means to effectively reach low-income farmers locked out of the subsidy scheme by using an Irrigation-as-a-Service model, thus potentially helping millions of farmers durably transition from diesel to solar pumping.
No upfront asset cost to farmers
Year-round access to water, without any hassle
Affordable tariffs 20-60% cheaper than diesel pumping
Pay Per Use service that accepts cash payments
Convenience of on-farm irrigation access and Operator assistance.
*Tariff: INR 2 - 4 per m3 of water pumped
The Oorja team surveys and selects a suitable site within farmland so nearby farmers can access the pump to irrigate their land, in consultation with the community
Interested customers can sign up by paying a one-time non-refundable membership fee of INR 1,000 per person
At each prospective site, groups of 15-25 members per pump are formed and 45 m2 of land is leased at the centre of the farmland for installation of the solar project
Oorja constructs borewells and procures, installs, tests and commissions the solar equipment
Vibration metres are embedded in each system to measure the time or quantity of produce milled.A flowmeter is installed at each system to measure the quantity of water dispensed. The pumps are operated between 9 am and 5 pm by an Operator
Customers are charged in cash on the day of sale by the Pump Operator, based on the water consumption of each user
The Oorja ground staff take care of prompt repair and maintenance and customer service.
What makes Oonnati stand out is its operations structure which is a Cluster model. 2 to 4 solar pumps of 5 HP each are installed within a village, irrigating up to 100 acres of farmland. This means the farmers no longer need to use diesel pumps and can rely on solar for 100% of their irrigation needs.
Oonnati is priced at least 20% cheaper than diesel-based pumping. It helps farmers save on input costs while guaranteeing year-round water availability, notably during the summer (zayed) season when diesel surface pumps are often not able to draw groundwater.
Projects completed
districts in Uttar Pradesh
satisfied customers
m3 water pumped
acres irrigated
litres of diesel fuel consumption avoided
MWh clean electricity generated
last-mile jobs created
MTCO2e emissions avoided
Oorja's services have transformed my agricultural practices, allowing me to save valuable time and resources. Accessing water for irrigation is now just a button away. I don’t need to search for a diesel pump, install it, or purchase fuel any more. The mills are located just 500 metres from my home, reducing both cost and time.
My farm produce has increased and crops do not dry. I can also cultivate vegetables on my land. Earlier I had to buy vegetables from the market but now I don't have to purchase them, my farm produce is sufficient to feed the whole family.
Now it is very easy to irrigate. Earlier I had to make arrangements one day in advance for irrigation, like purchasing pipe and diesel and laying the pipe on the field. Now the water goes into the drains and reaches into the field. I don't have to put much effort and my crop yield is also good.
I manage to save money because of Oorja solutions. I don't have to work hard and my crops get water on time.
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