Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India

This research paper analyzes three grid-connected agricultural solar photovoltaic schemes in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh to provide implementation recommendations for Tamil Nadu's adoption of Component C of the PM KUSUM scheme.

• The agricultural sector accounts for 18% of India's electricity consumption, which is fully or partially subsidized, creating a financial burden for electricity distribution companies (discoms) due to low cost recovery and delayed government payments.
• The study analyzed three specific schemes: the Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) in Gujarat, the Surya Raitha Scheme in Karnataka, and the Solar BLDC Pump Pilot in Andhra Pradesh. These schemes utilized net-metered solar-PV-based pumpsets where the solar capacity (kW) was allowed to be equal to or greater than the pump's installed capacity (hp).
• Major implementation challenges across the studied states included the difficulty of securing financial contributions from farmers—which eventually required state government intervention—and a lack of farmer confidence due to the politics of metering and previous failures of off-grid solar PV pumpsets.
• In Karnataka, the selection of the Harobele region (within the Arkavathy river/dam area) was problematic because the area lacks groundwater scarcity and is part of a water-intensive sericulture belt, meaning the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) was insufficient to incentivize changes in water extraction patterns.
• To ensure the success of Component C in Tamil Nadu, the paper recommends assessing the adequacy of the feed-in tariff, collaborating with local populations to prevent water-inefficient agriculture, and establishing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India. https://www.wri.org/research/learnings-tamil-nadu-grid-connected-agricultural-solar-photovoltaic-schemes-india

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/learnings-tamil-nadu-grid-connected-agricultural-solar-photovoltaic-schemes-india.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India |url=https://www.wri.org/research/learnings-tamil-nadu-grid-connected-agricultural-solar-photovoltaic-schemes-india |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendlearnings, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/learnings-tamil-nadu-grid-connected-agricultural-solar-photovoltaic-schemes-india}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }