“Harvesting the Sun for Sustainable Farming"




India’s agriculture sector is heavily dependent on groundwater for irrigation, with over 2.20 crore groundwater structures in use, including dug wells, shallow, medium, and deep tubewells. Traditionally, these irrigation systems have been powered by diesel or grid electricity, contributing to high operational costs and significant carbon emissions. To address these issues, the Government of India launched the PM-KUSUM scheme (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) in 2019, marking a significant step toward clean energy adoption in agriculture.

The PM-KUSUM scheme is a key initiative aligned with India’s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to generate 40% of its energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. The scheme aims to enhance energy and water security for farmers, reduce diesel dependence, promote income diversification in rural areas, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

PM-KUSUM Structure and Goals

The scheme consists of three main components:

  • Component A focuses on setting up 10,000 MW of solar power capacity on barren or fallow land, with each plant having a capacity of  500KV  to 2 MW by March,2026.
  • Components B: Installation of 14 lakh standalone solar Agriculture Pumps.
  • Component C: Solarization of 35 lakhs Grid connected Agriculture Pumps including Feeder Level Solarisation, positioning PM-KUSUM as one of the largest clean energy programs in the agricultural sector globally.

Financial and Technical Model

To make solar pump adoption financially viable, the scheme offers a subsidy-driven model:

  • General areas: 30% subsidy from the central government, 30% from state governments, and the remaining 40% from farmers. Out of this, up to 30% can be availed as a bank loan, reducing the farmer’s upfront cost to just 10%.
  • Special regions (Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and island territories): The Central Financial Assistance (CFA) is increased to 50%.
  • The CFA applies up to 7.5 HP pumps, though larger capacity pumps can be installed without additional subsidy.

Advanced features like Universal Solar Pump Controllers (USPCs) allow surplus solar energy to be diverted to other agricultural applications when pumps are idle. Also, vendors are required to offer five years of maintenance support, with service centres and helplines in each district.

Environmental and Economic Impact

Currently, India operates around 22 million (2.2 crore) agricultural pumps, with about 5.52 billion litres of fuel each year, resulting in an estimated 15.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. A full-scale implementation of PM-KUSUM could reduce emissions by 32 million tonnes annually, including 25.3 million tonnes from replacing diesel pumps and 2.5 million tonnes from solarizing electric pumps.

Progress So Far (Up to March 2025)

  • Total solar pumps installed:
  • 4.4 lakh under Component B
  • 2.6 lakh under Component C
  • The total number of solar pumps installed or solarized under the scheme exceeded 10 lakhs.

Conclusion

PM-KUSUM is transforming Indian agriculture by making irrigation more affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly. It empowers farmers, reduces input costs, and supports India’s broader climate goals. As the program scales, it has the potential to redefine rural energy access and drive a sustainable agricultural revolution.

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