Solar-Powered Grain Milling in India

This policy brief evaluates a pilot project by Oorja Development Solutions in Uttar Pradesh, India, which utilized the secondary capacity of solar-powered irrigation pumps (SIPs) to power community grain mills. The evaluation found that these solar mills reduced costs and travel distances for smallholders and improved women's autonomy, although operational challenges like operator availability and infrastructure limited sustained adoption. The document recommends integrating secondary productive uses into India's PM-KUSUM scheme to optimize solar asset utilization.

• Solar-powered community mills in Uttar Pradesh reduced milling costs for users, who paid an average of INR 1.94/kg compared to INR 2.33/kg at diesel or electric mills, resulting in savings of approximately INR 100 per household per milling cycle.
• The proximity of solar mills significantly reduced travel distances for users; Oorja primary users travelled between 0.5 and 0.6 km, whereas diesel and electric mill users travelled approximately 1.1 km.
• The availability of local solar milling shifted household practices from bulk processing to need-based milling, which reduced spoilage, improved hygiene and freshness, and encouraged the processing of a more diverse range of products including turmeric, coriander, and maize.
• While quantitative data on gender inclusion was not statistically significant, qualitative evidence indicated that solar mills increased women's mobility, confidence, and decision-making autonomy, particularly when mills were reliably managed and centrally located.
• Adoption and retention rates varied significantly by village, with retention reaching 65% in well-managed areas but falling below 30% in others. Overall, 41% of households continued using Oorja as their primary mill by the endline, with attrition caused by poor road access, operator priorities, and technical constraints.
• The primary barriers to the wider adoption of solar milling include operational issues such as queues, delays, operator unavailability, and perceived issues with the quality of the flour.
• The document recommends that the Indian government expand the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme to include subsidies for secondary productive applications of solar irrigation power, such as milling, to improve the economic viability of solar assets.

APA

Agarwal, S., Vijayan, H., Mani, S., Laan, T., & Saxenan, A. (2026). Solar-Powered Grain Milling in India. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/beyond-irrigation-solar-pumps-india-summary.pdf

Chicago

Agarwal, Sejal, Hridya Vijayan, Sunil Mani, Tara Laan, and Abhinav Saxenan. Solar-Powered Grain Milling in India. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/beyond-irrigation-solar-pumps-india-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Agarwal |first1=Sejal |last2=Vijayan |first2=Hridya |last3=Mani |first3=Sunil |last4=Laan |first4=Tara |last5=Saxenan |first5=Abhinav |title=Solar-Powered Grain Milling in India |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/beyond-irrigation-solar-pumps-india-summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{agarwal2026solarpowered, author = {Agarwal, Sejal and Vijayan, Hridya and Mani, Sunil and Laan, Tara and Saxenan, Abhinav}, title = {{Solar-Powered Grain Milling in India}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/beyond-irrigation-solar-pumps-india-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }