Solar irrigation and groundwater crisis

Notes

• Solar irrigation is often criticized for potentially worsening groundwater depletion due to free power and lack of pumping incentives.
• The impact of solar irrigation depends on the model: standalone pumps, grid-connected systems, or fee-for-service centralized models.
• Gujarat’s Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) demonstrates that grid-connected models allowing electricity sales back to the grid incentivize efficient water use.
• In Bangladesh, fee-for-service solar models encourage equitable water use as operators manage water for multiple farmers to ensure business sustainability.
• Groundwater outcomes are influenced by local hydrogeology, cropping patterns, soil type, and marginal returns to irrigation, not just energy source.
• In regions like Punjab and Haryana, where irrigation is already widespread, solar irrigation can improve sustainability by replacing fossil-fuel electricity.
• In Eastern India, solar irrigation can address energy access constraints and improve agricultural productivity in rainfed areas.
• Groundwater irrigation in India generates 45-62 million tonnes of CO2 annually; agricultural electricity subsidies exceed ₹1 lakh crore per year.
• PM-KUSUM has installed over 2.5 million solar pumps; PM-KUSUM 2.0 aims to balance clean energy transition with groundwater conservation.
• Policy recommendations include incentivizing water-saving through micro-irrigation, direct cash payments for reduced pumping, and supporting farmer cooperatives.