Solar Pumps And Agrivoltaics To Boost Farmers’ Incomes: Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi, Mar 11 (KNN) Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi, on Tuesday highlighted the growing role of renewable energy in strengthening India’s rural economy and increasing farmers’ incomes while addressing the 4th National Agro-RE Summit in New Delhi.

He said renewable energy technologies are reaching farms and households, helping farmers access reliable power, cut irrigation costs and improve productivity. Farmers are increasingly using solar energy for irrigation, while many households generate electricity through rooftop systems, he added.

Solar Pumps Lower Irrigation Costs

Joshi said solar irrigation pumps are reducing farmers’ diesel dependence and ensuring reliable daytime irrigation. Diesel irrigation can cost nearly Rs 6,790 per acre for wheat and over Rs 8,000 for crops like cotton, while solar pumps can save Rs 5,000–Rs 6,500 per acre annually and cut emissions.

Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, over 10 lakh standalone solar pumps have been installed and more than 13 lakh grid-connected pumps solarised, enabling farmers to become ‘Urjadaata’ (energy providers) alongside ‘Annadata’ (food providers).

Agrivoltaics and New Opportunities

The minister noted, “The government is preparing PM-KUSUM 2.0, which will include a dedicated 10 GW Agri-PV component to promote the co-location of solar panels with crops,” adding that the initiative promotes agrivoltaic systems that combine solar power generation with crop cultivation on the same land.

Joshi said India’s agrivoltaic potential ranges between 3,000 GW and 14,000 GW, with studies indicating such systems can raise farmers’ annual income in some cases from about Rs 60,000 per acre to over Rs 1 lakh per acre by combining crop output with electricity generation.

He emphasised that India aims to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity through decentralised renewable energy installations across farms, rooftops and rural enterprises.

Need for Collaboration

Speaking at the summit, Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, called for stronger collaboration among government, industry, research institutions and financial organisations to scale up agrivoltaic deployment and make such technologies accessible to farmers.

The summit was organised by the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) in collaboration with the India Agrivoltaics Alliance.

(KNN Bureau)