Agriculture contributes nearly 18% to India’s GDP and provides employment to 45% of its population. India’s farmers, like their global counterparts, are heavily dependent on the extraction of groundwater for irrigation. For the same, they use both diesel-powered and grid-connected pumps extensively. Diesel pumps, accounting for over 25% of India’s irrigation mechanisms, release over 40 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Even the grid-connected pumps are electrified through coal-fired thermal power plants that emit harmful pollutants. These pumps make the agriculture sector a significant contributor to India being among the world’s top three greenhouse gas emitters. If India has to meet its ambitious target of net-zero emissions by 2070, its farmers have to embrace greener irrigation mechanisms.

Solar water pumps, a cornerstone of solar solutions for irrigation, have emerged as a game-changer in reducing the carbon footprint. The environmental benefits of solar water pumps extend far beyond immediate cost savings; they are pivotal to India’s broader sustainability goals and rural electrification mission.

Bright sun; cleaner energy

Solar water pumps provide a far cleaner option for irrigation as they offer various environmental advantages.

• Conventional pumps are a source of much carbon emissions. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy calculates that 30 million solar pumps could conserve as much as 9.4 billion litres of diesel annually in addition to reducing nearly 25.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
• Diesel-powered pumps run the risk of contaminating soil and water sources through oil spillages. In contrast, solar water pumps are operationally less hazardous as they release negligible residue, making them ideal for regions with fragile ecosystems.
• Solar pumps use a renewable and virtually limitless source of energy—sunlight. Higher use of solar-based pumps can potentially reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels, thereby decreasing energy import bills. In a country like India, where rural electrification remains a challenge, it can result in freeing up of valuable resources.
• Solar water pumps have a lifespan of over 20 years with minimal maintenance. The transition to solar ensures that farmers spend minimal time and money on frequent repairs. Also, it eliminates the associated environmental hazards like fuel spillage and harmful emissions.

Regulatory and policy push

The India government has been instrumental in pushing the solar water pump initiative. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme, the government aims to enable the irrigation of over 2.75 million hectares of farmland by subsidising the installation of 1.35 million independent solar pumps and about 3.55 million grid connected solar pumps and feeders up to March 2026. Various state governments have also supported the efforts with their own initiatives.

The Rajasthan government, under its Solar Energy Policy, aims to strengthen PM-KUSUM by deploying solar pumps on over 50,000 farms, reducing the use of diesel pumps. Maharashtra’s state government instituted the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Pump Yojana in 2019, under which it installed 100,000 solar-powered irrigation water pumps in power-starved areas, promoting usage of clean power in the state’s rural geography. The scheme’s success inspired it to launch a new scheme earlier this year called Magel Tyala Saur Krushi Pump Yojana. The scheme is targeting installation of 850,000 new solar pumps across the state. Punjab and Haryana, known for water-intensive farming practices, have already begun the switch to solar pumps in right earnest. Under the Saur Sujala Yojana launched in 2016, Chhattisgarh has seen nearly 80,000 pumps being installed till 2021, benefiting mostly small and marginal farmers with less than five acres of land.

A green future ahead

While phasing out diesel pumps is essential, grid-connected pumps may not be the ideal alternative. They require significant infrastructure, such as towers, transmission lines, and other components, to provide consistent power to India’s farms. Apart from being expensive, the construction of the said infrastructure could harm the ecology, especially in remote and mountainous areas. Secondly, the grid receives power from thermal power plants that are one of the world’s top pollutants. Effectively, the grid-connected pumps replace one source of CO2 emission with another.

Clearly, solar-powered pumps possess the attributes to provide farmers with reliable and inexpensive power with minimal emissions. Apart from reducing carbon emissions, solar water pumps ensure energy security, operational efficiency, and long-term cost savings for farmers. Active state support is making it easier for India’s farmers to adopt solar technologies for a cleaner and greener agricultural sector. With solar water pumps, Indian agriculture’s future is bright, sunny and undeniably green.