Solar irrigation pumps are changing farming in India. Many farmers, like Sanjeev Kumar in Uttar Pradesh, are happy with their new solar pumps. These pumps help them get water for their crops without paying for diesel or relying on unreliable electricity. Kumar’s six-acre farm now uses a 7-kilowatt solar system to draw water from deep underground. He says it’s a “game-changer” for his wheat and peanut crops.
Solar pumps have become more popular because the cost of solar panels has dropped significantly. The Indian government has also supported this with schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM). This scheme aims to install off-grid solar pumps and help farmers use solar energy for agriculture. Over a million solar pumps have been installed under this programme.
However, there are serious concerns about this rapid growth. Recent reports suggest that the solar irrigation programme might be “going seriously astray.” Studies show that many solar pumps waste about two-thirds of the energy they produce. More worryingly, solar-powered irrigation might lead to farmers extracting more groundwater, rather than reducing emissions as expected.
This is a big problem for India, which is already the world’s largest user of groundwater. Farmers in India extract more groundwater than the United States and China combined, mostly for farming. A report from the Central Ground Water Board showed that over 1,000 areas in India are now using more groundwater than is naturally replenished. This is especially bad in farming states like Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Experts like Chetan Singh Solanki from IIT Bombay explain that the problem is partly due to the low cost of running solar pumps. Once installed, and often subsidised, farmers have little reason to turn them off. “Water keeps flowing. And that’s a recipe for over-extraction,” he says.
This situation is worse in areas that already face water shortages. Solanki warns that the pattern of overusing electricity for pumping water is now repeating with solar power, but “on steroids.” He adds, “We are seeing more borewells, more pumping, and very little groundwater recharge. It is not just a farming issue. It’s a national water crisis in the making.”
Some farmers, like Krishna Gandhi, installed solar power even before the government schemes. He did it to escape the problems of the unreliable electricity grid. His solar setup powers his home and a small pump. While it’s been a “lifesaver” for him, he notes that in his region, water is very deep and the soil is rocky. “You dig a borewell and still might not find water,” he said.
To address the issue of overuse, the PM-KUSUM scheme includes a part where farmers can sell extra solar power to the electricity grid. The idea is that if farmers earn money by selling power, they might use their pumps more wisely. But this part of the scheme has not been very successful. A 2024 study shows that the progress on selling power to the grid has been very slow.
Farmers are hesitant to sell power back to the grid because the price they get is much lower than what they pay for electricity. There are also too many complicated rules and potential for corruption. This means that while the policy exists, its goal of reducing groundwater overuse is not being met.
Experts believe that the main problem is the lack of meters for both water and electricity. Without meters, there is no limit on how much can be used. “There’s no incentive to switch it [the pump] off,” says Chetan Agarwal, a fellow at the Centre for Ecology Development & Research (CEDAR). He suggests that a better system would be to meter usage and give credit for the first certain units of electricity used, with charges for usage beyond that. This would encourage efficiency.
Agarwal warns that without such systems, India risks running out of groundwater. He believes that schemes like PM-KUSUM need to focus not just on installing pumps, but on how they are used afterwards. “If it’s not connected to the grid and remains unmetered, the water will just keep flowing,” he stated.
Solutions do exist, experts say. Grid-connected solar pumps, where farmers sell surplus energy, can help reduce water misuse. However, making these systems work on a large scale is difficult due to corruption, lack of awareness, poor infrastructure, and pricing that doesn’t favour small farmers.
As solar irrigation continues to grow, it offers immediate benefits to farmers. But it also risks making India’s water problems worse. Experts stress the importance of managing the link between water and energy. “We need long-term thinking,” says Solanki. “Water policy can’t lag behind energy policy. Otherwise, we’ll be trading one crisis for another. A dry future powered by the sun!”