Pm-Kusum and India's Sustainable Energy Transition: A Critical Review of Solarising Agriculture, Energy Security And Rural Sustainability

Abstract India’s transition towards sustainable energy is closely connected with the transformation of agricultural energy use. Irrigation has traditionally depended on subsidised electricity and diesel, enabling agricultural expansion but also contributing to rising public expenditure, fossil-fuel consumption and pressure on groundwater resources. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM), introduced in 2019, represents a major national policy initiative that seeks to address these interconnected challenges through decentralised renewable-energy generation and solarisation of agricultural pumps. Unlike conventional renewable-energy programmes that primarily focus on electricity generation, PM-KUSUM places farmers at the centre of the energy transition by enabling them to use, generate and, under specified arrangements, sell renewable electricity. This chapter critically reviews the PM-KUSUM scheme through the perspectives of sustainable energy transition, agricultural economics and the water–energy nexus. The review synthesises relevant peer-reviewed literature, systematic review evidence and official policy documents to examine the scheme’s potential benefits, implementation challenges and sustainability implications. The analysis shows that solarisation can reduce dependence on diesel, improve daytime electricity availability, create opportunities for supplementary farm income and contribute to decentralised renewable-energy generation. However, solar irrigation is not automatically sustainable. Where the marginal cost of pumping approaches zero, inappropriate incentives can encourage excessive groundwater extraction. Evidence from India indicates that the outcomes of solar irrigation vary according to groundwater conditions, cropping patterns, tariff structures and the design of electricity buyback mechanisms. The chapter argues that the long-term success of PM-KUSUM depends on moving beyond pump installation towards integrated management of energy, water and agricultural resources. A conceptual framework is proposed in which policy design, financial accessibility, technological reliability, farmer participation, electricity-market incentives and groundwater governance jointly determine sustainable outcomes. The chapter concludes that PM-KUSUM has considerable potential to support India’s sustainable energy transition, provided future implementation is more inclusive, region-specific and closely aligned with groundwater conservation and efficient agricultural water use.