Next phase of PM-KUSUM may be OKed soon: Pralhad Joshi
The upcoming PM KUSUM phase will feature a dedicated agrivoltaics component for farmers. This initiative will allow farmers to earn income from generated electricity. The focus will be on small farmers, cooperatives, and panchayats. Agrivoltaics combines farming and solar power generation on the same land. More research is needed to optimize crop and solar configurations.
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Context
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi announced that the next phase of the (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme will likely include a dedicated component for agrivoltaics. This will allow farmers to generate solar electricity on the same land used for cultivation, providing an additional income stream and contributing to India's target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. The focus will be on small and marginal farmers, cooperatives, and (Farmer Producer Organisations) while ensuring land ownership remains with the farmers.
UPSC Perspectives
Economic
The introduction of agrivoltaics in addresses a core issue in Indian agriculture: income instability. Currently, farmers' earnings are highly vulnerable to monsoon vagaries and volatile market prices. Agrivoltaics provides a dual-use model, allowing farmers to cultivate crops while generating and selling solar power. This creates a stable, secondary income stream, acting as a buffer against agricultural risks. This aligns with the government's objective of doubling farmers' income. Furthermore, by prioritizing small and marginal farmers (who constitute the vast majority of Indian landholdings), cooperatives, and , the scheme aims for inclusive growth. For UPSC Mains, analyze how such schemes shift the focus from mere subsidy provision to creating sustainable rural entrepreneurship and energy independence.
Environmental
India has an ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030. The scheme is critical to this transition, as agriculture is a major consumer of electricity (often subsidized and derived from coal). Solarizing agriculture reduces the sector's carbon footprint. Agrivoltaics maximizes land-use efficiency; it prevents the conversion of fertile agricultural land exclusively for large-scale solar parks, mitigating potential conflicts between food security and energy security. The research mentioned in the article, testing different configurations across various crops and climates, is vital because shading from solar panels can impact crop yields. UPSC candidates should understand the concept of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus; solar pumps reduce reliance on grid power (energy) and, if not regulated, could lead to over-extraction of groundwater (water), impacting agricultural sustainability (food). Therefore, must be coupled with efficient water management practices.
Governance
The implementation of highlights the challenges and opportunities in decentralized governance. While the scheme is a Central sector initiative (with State components), its success depends heavily on coordination with state discoms (distribution companies) and local bodies like Panchayats. A significant challenge in earlier phases was the financial health of discoms and delays in payments to farmers for grid-connected solar power. The proposed phase must address these structural bottlenecks. Ensuring that land ownership remains strictly with the farmer is a crucial safeguard against potential land alienation by large energy corporations. From a UPSC perspective, examine the role of local institutions and in aggregating small landholdings to make agrivoltaic projects economically viable, and evaluate the regulatory frameworks needed to integrate decentralized, intermittent solar power into the national grid.