Kamal Ghorui
Agriculture is the backbone of India’s rural economy employing nearly half of the country’s workforce and supporting food security for over 1.4 billion people. However, the farmers’ community continues to face:
- Rising input costs;
- Erratic electricity supply, and;
- Increasing climate risks.
In this context, Solar energy, particularly Solar-powered Irrigation has emerged as one of the most practical and financially rewarding investments for the farmers, offering:
- Lower operating costs;
- Reliable irrigation;
- Additional income opportunities, and;
- Long-term sustainability.
India’s agricultural sector depends heavily on irrigation pumps, with more than 30 million irrigation pumps installed nationwide with around 8.5 million being Diesel-powered ones. These pumps however consume large amounts of electricity and fossil fuels, increasing both production costs and impacting the environment. Transitioning to solar-powered systems, it is opined, can significantly reduce this burden improving farm productivity.
One of the biggest advantages of solar energy for agriculture is cost savings, as, while Traditional Diesel Pumps require constant spending on fuel, Grid Electricity can be unreliable and expensive. Solar pumps, on the other hand, have near-zero operating costs once installed, as sunlight is free.
Transforming Agriculture through use of Solar power
Indian agriculture, the backbone of the livelihood for nearly half of India’s population, is witnessing a powerful shift. Instead of relying only on grid electricity or diesel for irrigation and farm operations, farmers have been increasingly turning to Sun energy. Solar based agricultural solutions under the PM-KUSUM scheme are helping make this shift a reality enabling:
- Higher incomes;
- Better productivity, and;
- Greater resilience.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme launched in 2019 by the Modi government is aimed at enabling farmers to harness solar energy for irrigation and power generation on their farms with the following 3 main components:
Installing Grid-connected Ground-mounted Solar power plants (up to 2 MW) aggregating to a total capacity of 10 GW.
Installing 1.75 million worth Standalone Solar Pumps.
Solarizing 1 million worth Grid-connected agricultural pumps.
Benefits from PM-KUSUM Yojana
Farmers receive a subsidy ranging from 30% to 90% for installing solar pumps.
- Reduced Dependence on Diesel:
The installation of solar pumps reduces reliance on diesel and other traditional energy sources.
Solar-powered pumps decrease electricity consumption helping lower farmers’ expenses.
- Source of Additional Income:
Farmers can earn extra income by selling surplus solar energy back to the grid.
Through this scheme, farmers contribute to environmental protection by utilising green energy.
Lower electricity costs improve the farmers’ economic conditions, increasing their overall income.
Introduction of PM-KUSUM Scheme 2.0
India plans to introduce a dedicated 10 GW component under the upcoming PM-KUSUM Scheme 2.0 to promote the co-location of solar panels with crops. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced that it aims to create a new model for decentralised renewable energy generation in India, which will enable farmers to generate electricity while continuing agricultural production on the same land.
The Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has said that the country’s Agrivoltaic potential is estimated at 3,000 GW to nearly 14,000 GW, which can significantly enhance farmers’ earnings. The move is part of the efforts to expand decentralised renewable energy in rural areas and support India’s target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Agrivoltaics and the way it Works
Agrivoltaics, the innovative practice of using the same land for both agriculture and solar power generation is gaining significant momentum in India and around the world.
This dual-use approach not only boosts farmers’ incomes but also offers solutions to land constraints, water conservation, and renewable energy generation, making it a game-changer for sustainable farming and energy production.
Agrivoltaics refers to the simultaneous use of land for agriculture and solar power generation, typically involving the installation of solar panels elevated above crops or livestock, the dual-use model enabling both food production and clean energy generation to co-exist on the same land.
In India, where land is scarce and demand for energy is surging, agrivoltaics offers a solution to increase renewable energy capacity while maintaining food production, it is opined.
By harnessing sunlight for power, without requiring additional land, agrivoltaics reduces the conflict between the solar farms and the agricultural land.
Key Benefits claimed of Agrivoltaics for Farmers and Agriculture
- Increased Income and Financial Diversification
Agrivoltaics is said to offer farmers an additional source of revenue. Farmers can sell the electricity generated by solar panels back to the grid, offsetting energy costs for irrigation or providing a steady income from power generation.
Government programmes such as PM-KUSUM incentivise solar installations on farms increasing economic resilience i.e. the capacity to withstand crises and recessions and ability to recover from them. By combining energy and crop production farmers can diversify their income, reducing their reliance on a single source, some reports suggesting that Agrivoltaics can boost farmer income by 20–30% through revenue from both crops and electricity.
- Improved Crop Yields and Water Conservation
Agrivoltaics can help crops thrive:
- By providing shade;
- Reducing heat stress, and;
Improving water retention in soil.
Studies are said to have shown that crops such as spinach, tomatoes, and lettuce perform well under partial shading provided by solar panels reducing the need for excessive irrigation.
By covering water reservoirs and irrigation channels, agrivoltaics is also said to reduce water evaporation reducing the need for irrigation by 10-15%, ideal for areas experiencing water scarcity.
Epilogue
Agrivoltaics is emerging as a transformative approach in Indian agriculture that combines solar photovoltaic (PV) systems with agricultural production on the same land. By co-locating solar panels with crops or livestock, it aims:
- To optimise land use;
- Increase farmer incomes, and;
- Accelerate renewable energy deployment without compromising food security.
The Modi government by adopting this integrated model is trying to take care of the twin challenges of energy access and sustainable agriculture in India.
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