Solar Irrigation

‘Solar Irrigation in India’ Knowledge Portal

Till about 2009-10, almost all of the couple of thousand solar irrigation systems installed in India were for ‘technology demonstration’. These were implemented in controlled, academic environments with the objective of establishing technical feasibility of pumping water for irrigation using solar energy. Financially, solar technologies were considered unviable, especially for agriculture with high energy demand and limited purchasing power of small farmers. Not many people could have imagined what happened in the next decade.

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of solar irrigation pumps in India grew to more than 250,000 through a mix of improvements in panel efficiency, declining unit prices and aggressive government support. As the numbers continue to grow, our understanding of their functioning, technical and financial business models, impact on agriculture and water resources, promotional strategies, and institutional capacity requirements are also growing. In 2018, acknowledging the potential of ‘solar irrigation’ in reshaping India’s massive irrigation economy, the Government of India announced KUSUM (later, PM-KUSUM; Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) which now boasts of an ambitious target of installing more than 3.5 million solar irrigation pumps over the next few years.

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Featured Articles
December 25, 2022 Efficient and cost-effective irrigation system matching the small-scale water harvesting and storage systems is much needed
There is a need to need to develop solar powered micro-sprinkler system considering the techno-socio-economic situation of the small holders of the dryland region. (Image: Rawpixel; Free CC0)
March 8, 2022 Designing policies that take into consideration the economic, social and institutional barriers that women face can greatly help in enhancing women' involvement in solar irrigation.
A woman cleaning a solar panel (Image Source: IWMI)
July 8, 2021 A compilation of different state level solar irrigation policies provides a quick snapshot of institutional development of solar irrigation in India.
Different solar irrigation policies in India (Image: IWMI)
March 19, 2021 IWMI’s novel experiment in Chakhaji village
Yatin Kumar, one of the early solar irrigation entrepreneurs in Chakhaji (Image: IWMI)
January 28, 2016 What will it take for the Haryana government to switch 7 lakh groundwater pumps to solar powered options so it can lower its energy footprint and contain losses in the energy sector?
Better incentives needs to be provided to farmers to use solar pumps for tubewells in Haryana
August 28, 2015 North Rajasthan is making good use of subsidies for micro irrigation and solar water pumps but can this sustain?
Farmer Sunil Bishnoi has seen a five times rise in income from his farm thanks to drip irrigation.
Solar mamas to light up their homes
A Rajasthan institute trains women from inaccessible villages of poor countries to make their villages solar energy efficient. Posted on 20 Nov, 2017 11:19 AM

In her mid-30s, Lino Lameko works as an assistant at the office of the national women’s council in Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu. She has come all the way from the Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean to Tilonia, a small village located in Ajmer in Rajasthan to become a “barefoot solar engineer”.

Over 1000 women from all over the world have come to Barefoot College to become barefoot solar engineers. (Image: Barefoot College)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Solar water pumps
What are solar water pumps? What are their advantages over traditional water pumps? Here are the answers to all your questions on solar water pumps. Posted on 29 Mar, 2017 06:10 PM

This is a simple guide that answers some of the most popular questions related to solar water pumps. This list of Q&A will help you understand what they are and their growing importance these days. Please click on a question for detailed information.

Submersible pumps of 2HP (Source: Sehgal Foundation)
Solar water pumps for efficient irrigation
Solar pumps are cost-effective, environment-friendly and have good potential in places with high water table. Sehgal Foundation, that piloted 14 solar pumps in two districts of Bihar, shows how. Posted on 18 Feb, 2017 09:19 PM

Irrigation system in India is often about big dams and hundreds of kilometres of canals that incur huge capital expenditure. Hence, policies at the central and the state level are mostly tilted in favour of big projects and often neglect micro-level solutions.

Zero tillage machine mounted on a tractor.
Pumping up hopes the solar way
What will it take for the Haryana government to switch 7 lakh groundwater pumps to solar powered options so it can lower its energy footprint and contain losses in the energy sector? Posted on 28 Jan, 2016 03:29 PM

Haryana's agriculture sector uses seven lakh tubewells, most of which are connected to the grid as the state has a policy of providing highly subsidised electricity to farmers costing Rs. 6200 crore a year. As a result, groundwater exploitation is rampant.

Better incentives needs to be provided to farmers to use solar pumps for tubewells in Haryana
Rajasthan's micro saviours need macro plans
North Rajasthan is making good use of subsidies for micro irrigation and solar water pumps but can this sustain? Posted on 28 Aug, 2015 09:49 PM

As we leave behind the smooth, straight drive of NH 89 and take a dirt path that whirls around a few miles of undulating desert grassland, we end at a large patch of emerald green which looks outlandish. “The reason for such a spectacle in these harsh conditions lies close to the ground,” says Ravinder Chhabra, my local guide in Bikaner.

Farmer Sunil Bishnoi has seen a five times rise in income from his farm thanks to drip irrigation.
Harness the sun to drought proof agriculture in Bihar
Are solar pumps a drought mitigation strategy for farmers in Bihar? This research paper looks into the interplay between droughts, subsequent distress and government interventions. Posted on 19 Jul, 2015 09:22 PM

Since 1999, Bihar has borne the brunt of four droughts. Rainfall scarcity has affected farmers, depleted groundwater levels significantly, and led to an increase in the number of poor people in the state. What measures has the government taken to mitigate the impact?

Solar panels in a farm (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Solar irrigation pumps: A boon and bane
Karnataka's Surya Raitha scheme provides farmers with cash income for “growing” solar energy as a remunerative cash crop, to prevent overusing solar powered pumps for groundwater extraction. Posted on 03 Jul, 2015 09:26 PM

Solar energy, which was until now only considered for small scale lighting is now slowly gaining tremendous popularity among farmers to pump irrigation water. The paper titled 'Karnataka’s smart, new solar pump policy for irrigation' published in the

Solar power use in a Tamil Nadu farm (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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