By Karan Sharma
The irrigation requirements of India’s vast agricultural landscape have traditionally been met through diesel generators and grid electricity, both expensive and often unreliable. In recent years, solar-powered irrigation pumps have emerged as a compelling solution, delivering cleaner, lower-cost and decentralised energy directly to farmers’ fields. As of June 30, 2025, India’s installed off-grid solar capacity under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) stands at around 5.05 GW, driven by central schemes, particularly PM-KUSUM, as well as state-level programmes. These pumps not only help reduce farmers’ irrigation costs but also contribute to India’s renewable energy and climate targets.
Apart from policy impetus, the solar pump market is also being shaped by rapid technological innovation. Modern pumps are increasingly incorporating high-efficiency DC motors, as well as internet of things (IoT)-enabled remote monitoring and predictive maintenance. This combination of policy and innovation is critical as India seeks to balance agricultural productivity, climate action and groundwater sustainability.
Renewable Watch outlines the progress and challenges under the PM-KUSUM scheme, the evolution of the solar pump segment, recent technological advancements such as brushless DC (BLDC) electric motors and IoT-enabled monitoring, and the outlook for the solar pump segment…
PM-KUSUM: Progress and challenges
PM-KUSUM consists of three components. Component A supports decentralised solar plants (0.5-2 MW) on agricultural land, selling power at pre-fixed tariffs. Component B subsidises off-grid solar pumps up to 7.5 HP (extended to 15 HP in some areas), with 30 per cent central financial assistance (CFA) each from the centre and state, while farmers cover the remaining 40 per cent. Component C focuses on on-site solarisation: individual pump solarisation, which allows farmers to install solar capacity up to twice their pump’s capacity for self-consumption and sale to the grid; and feeder-level solarisation (FLS), which involves solarising feeders that supply power to multiple farmers.
As of June 2025, PM-KUSUM has made substantial but uneven progress across states. According to the PM-KUSUM portal, Component A has seen limited success with around 638.99 MW installed (around 457 MW only in Rajasthan) against the total sanctioned capacity of 10,000 MW. Under Component B, 840,947 pumps have been installed against a sanctioned target of 1,332,234 (around 63.1 per cent). Component C, despite progress in the past one month, remains behind its target, with only 8,587 individual pump sets solarised (around 15.7 per cent of the target) out of the 55,073 sanctioned. Uttar Pradesh leads in this component at 3,945 pumps. Moreover, about 589,526 solar pumps have been covered (around 16.8 per cent) under FLS, out of the 3,508,874 sanctioned. Between 2019-20 and 2024-25 (up to December 2024), the CFA disbursed for solar irrigation under PM-KUSUM stood at around Rs 44,050 million.
Persistent barriers slowing uptake include the limited availability of domestically manufactured pumps that meet local content requirements, exclusion of pumps below 3 HP (affecting 85 per cent of smallholders), poor credit access to farmers and the perception that solar pumps offer limited economic value compared to subsidised diesel or electricity. Technical challenges such as deeper borewell retrofits, land acquisition near substations and difficult terrain also continue to hamper implementation.
Technology trends
Beyond numbers, India’s solar pump segment is witnessing technological transformation. A notable trend is the shift from AC to DC pumps, particularly those using permanent-magnet BLDC motors. DC systems, which directly use power from photo voltaic panels without converting to AC, offer greater efficiency and longer operational life. According to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, BLDC motors can provide approximately 20 per cent more water output compared to AC pumps using the same solar panel capacity. Their operational lifespan is also significantly longer – up to 10,000 hours compared to 2,000-3,000 hours for brush pumps. Some manufacturers, such as Uratom Solar India, report even higher efficiency gains, with BLDC motor sets achieving 30 per cent higher energy efficiency than conventional AC submersible pumps. Furthermore, industry players are developing advanced maximum power point tracking controllers, achieving efficiencies above 95 per cent.
Meanwhile, the integration of IoT and smart control systems is enhancing the functionality of solar pumps across India. New pump models are equipped with sensors that monitor water flow, system voltage and fault conditions in real time, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Smart monitoring systems help prevent breakdowns by providing real-time diagnostics. Remote monitoring systems are being increasingly utilised for monitoring pump performance though implementation varies across Indian states.
At the industry level, new partnerships and platforms are emerging. Vi Business has rolled out IoT connectivity solutions for solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM scheme, transmitting real-time pump data to original equipment manufacturers for diagnostics and monitoring performance metrics. Additionally, TrackSo offers an IoT-based energy management platform specifically for solar PV systems, including pumps, providing predictive maintenance and performance monitoring. Building on this, the sector is exploring predictive maintenance algorithms that combine IoT data with machine learning to predict failures before they occur. This approach promises to further reduce downtime, cut maintenance costs and extend asset life.
System design continues to evolve in India’s solar pump segment. Farmers choose between surface pumps and submersible pumps based on their water source requirements. Submersible pumps are designed to be submerged in deep water wells (up to 800 feet deep) and use solar energy to power the motor, making them ideal for remote locations. These pumps are increasingly becoming the first choice of farmers as they provide low-cost electricity for pumping water from the ground.
Outlook
Solar pumps have already delivered measurable benefits: reduced diesel imports, lower greenhouse gas emissions and direct economic savings to over a million farmers. India’s diesel irrigation pumps consume about 5.52 billion litres of diesel annually, emitting an estimated 15.4 mt of carbon each year, as per CRISIL. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy estimates that achieving solar pump targets could reduce annual carbon emissions by around 25.3 mt. Off-grid solarisation of pumps can also reduce transmission and distribution losses by up to 20 per cent, according to the World Irrigation Forum.
However, concerns around groundwater depletion persist, as the availability of cheap, daytime solar power can promote longer pumping hours, leading to declining water tables. Overall, the pace of deployment itself is well below targets and requires urgent rectification. The slow roll-out reflects multiple issues − complex application processes, delayed subsidy disbursement, high upfront farmer contributions, limited domestic manufacturing capacity and insufficient technical support.
Looking ahead, the goal of deploying over 2 million solar pumps by March 2026 under PM-KUSUM appears increasingly difficult without transformative changes. Structural reforms are essential. These include streamlined and timely subsidy disbursements, single-window clearances, inclusion of lower-capacity pumps for smallholders, wider credit access (potentially via pay-as-you-go or service models, common in off-grid solar markets) and robust local training networks. Technological trends such as smarter pumps, BLDC motors and real-time monitoring will support progress, but cannot overcome policy and institutional barriers alone.
While solar pumps hold immense promise for sustainable agriculture and clean energy, their full potential remains untapped. This requires a combination of continued innovation and deep structural reforms in financing, policy delivery and capacity building, ensuring that clean irrigation is accessible, efficient and equitable for all Indian farmers.
