Over 10 Lakh Solar Pumps Installed, Transforming India's Rural Economy

Addressing an event here, Joshi highlighted the growing role of renewable energy in strengthening India's rural economy and enhancing farmers' incomes.

He said renewable energy is increasingly reaching India's farms and households, helping farmers access reliable power while reducing irrigation costs and improving farm productivity.

"A farmer irrigating his field today may be doing so using solar power, and a household that once worried about electricity bills may now be producing its own electricity through rooftop solar. This is not just an energy transition, it is also a transformation of the rural economy," the minister noted.

Renewable energy technologies are playing an increasingly important role in agriculture, particularly through solar irrigation pumps, which enable farmers to reduce dependence on diesel and access reliable daytime irrigation.

Diesel irrigation can cost nearly Rs 6,790 per acre for wheat and over Rs 8,000 per acre for crops such as cotton. Solar pumps can help farmers save between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,500 per acre annually, while also reducing emissions.

The minister informed that 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.

This initiative will enable farmers to generate electricity while continuing agricultural activities on the same land, creating a new model for decentralised renewable energy generation in rural India.

Joshi said that combining solar power generation with agricultural cultivation can significantly improve land productivity and provide farmers with an additional source of income.

Estimates indicate that India's agrivoltaic potential could range from 3,000 GW to nearly 14,000 GW, reflecting the scale of opportunity in integrating renewable energy with agriculture.

Joshi also highlighted the progress of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. More than 31 lakh households have already benefited from rooftop solar installations under the scheme, enabling families to generate their own electricity and reduce electricity bills, he said.

The country's non-fossil fuel capacity has increased from about 81 GW in 2014 to nearly 275 GW today, with more than half of India's installed electricity capacity now coming from non-fossil sources.

Solar capacity expanded from about 2.8 GW in 2014 to nearly 143 GW, wind capacity increased from around 21 GW to about 55 GW, and biopower capacity rose from 8.1 GW to about 12 GW, reflecting the rapid scale-up of renewable energy deployment in the country.

- IANS