Grundfos bets big on solar-driven pumps

With various state governments promoting solar energy-based projects, world's largest pump manufacturer Grundfos is in talks with a number of solar panel makers to promote solar-based pumps for drinking water and irrigation purposes.
"Every state is coming up with new projects (based on solar energy) as requirements change. It is a market which will grow continuously.
"Fortunately, we are the earliest. We are having aggressive plans", Grundfos India Managing Director N K Ranganath told PTI.
He said Grundfos is looking at solar-driven pumping systems for drinking as well as to clean water. "We are not limiting ourselves to any state. We will go wherever it is easy to do business."

The company is aggressively promoting solar energy-driven pumps, he said, adding that they are also looking to tie-up with solar panel manufacturers. "We are already talking to a number of people."
Ranganath said the company has undertaken such projects in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Odisha. "We are involved in a few states in the sale of these pumps for drinking water projects."

South Africa and India contribute about 30 per cent of the total solar business of the Group.
"Our solar business, we are doing in parts of America that is in Texas, California, South Africa, India and Australia. Thirty per cent of the Group's business comes out of South Africa and India", he said.

To a query on increasing local content for some products assembled in India, Ranganath said, "We started off increasing the local content about one-and-half years ago.
"We were about 20 per cent. Now, we are almost 40 per cent. Basically, we are looking at indigenising cast iron, cast steel, because we are better off in terms of pricing."
He further said that we would like to increase the indigenisation content to 60 per cent over a three year period. "But then, that depends on what kind of products we put in the market."
"We are working with a couple of contract manufacturers in Tamil Nadu. We are testing the market. We have not gone through it. It will take at least another year-and-half.

"The reliability should be such that the failure rate is less than 0.5 per cent and those pumps should be able to run for 3-4 years without any problem", he added.