At IESW 2025, Piyush Goyal announced that India has experienced a staggering 4,000% increase in solar energy capacity and aims to reach a 500 GW green energy target by 2030.
In a significant stride towards a greener future, India has achieved a remarkable milestone. As of mid-2025, half of the country's installed power capacity comes from non-fossil fuel sources, five years ahead of the 2030 Paris targets. This milestone is partly attributed to the success of the PM Kusum Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan), a key initiative transforming India’s renewable energy sector [1][3][4].
The PM Kusum scheme, launched in 2018, has made significant progress in promoting solar-powered agricultural pumps. In Karnataka alone, 40,000 pump sets have received approval, with plans to prioritize more. The financial support for these initiatives is substantial: Rs 12,785 crore for irrigation pumps in 2024-25 (with Rs 11,720 crore released by February 2025) and Rs 16,021 crore allocated for 2025-26 [2].
Beyond PM Kusum, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in 2024, has driven a rooftop solar revolution. This initiative targets installation of solar panels on one crore (10 million) households, democratizing solar access and enabling households to become “prosumers” (producers and consumers of electricity) [1][3].
PM Kusum also promotes agrivoltaics (combining agriculture and solar power generation on the same land) and feeder-level solarization, advancing energy-secure agriculture and rural livelihoods [3]. The scheme and related renewable energy initiatives have spurred direct job creation in solar installation and maintenance and helped regularize unauthorized irrigation pump connections, thus improving energy infrastructure for farmers [2].
PM Kusum is part of a broader policy framework including solar parks, wind energy expansion, and the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy that altogether enhance India’s clean energy ecosystem [1][3][4].
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, in his recent address at the 11th edition of the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025, held at the sustainable venue of Yashobhoomi, emphasized the importance of energy storage as the backbone of India's clean energy shift. He also reaffirmed India's target of achieving 500 GW renewable capacity by 2030 [5].
In addition, the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC) was highlighted as a potential booster for India's clean tech manufacturing. Goyal urged industry leaders to focus on domestic manufacturing, from raw materials to battery recycling [6].
Moreover, a Rs 1 lakh crore Research & Development Fund has been recently approved by the Cabinet, expected to rival global R&D investments due to India's cost-effectiveness [7].
In summary, these initiatives, including PM Kusum, PM Surya Ghar, and the PLI scheme for ACC, are pivotal in scaling up solar irrigation pumps, supporting farmer livelihoods, and contributing to India’s renewable energy capacity growth. They complement each other, collectively driving India’s transition towards a greener, sustainable future [1][2][3][4].
[1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-kusum-scheme-to-provide-subsidy-of-rs-30000-crore-to-farmers-for-solar-pumps/article37305573.ece [2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/pm-kusum-scheme-to-provide-subsidy-of-rs-30000-crore-to-farmers-for-solar-pumps/articleshow/90977245.cms [3] https://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/document_publication/PM-KUSUM-Scheme-for-Installation-of-Solar-Pumps-on-Agricultural-Feeders-and-Off-grid-Solar-Pumps-for-Farmers-and-Fishermen-_Final.pdf [4] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1764723 [5] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1764727 [6] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1764724 [7] https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-to-invest-rs-1-lakh-crore-in-research-development-fund-to-rival-global-rivals-11677697162054.html
- The PM Kusum scheme, along with its focus on promoting solar-powered agricultural pumps and advancing energy-secure agriculture, provides an excellent opportunity for students pursuing environmental-science and education-and-self-development to learn about renewable energy and its impact on rural livelihoods.
- As India continues to expand its clean energy ecosystem, initiatives like the PM Kusum scheme and the PM Surya Ghar, along with research and development efforts, present a fertile ground for the growth of science, particularly in sectors like renewable energy technology and energy storage, contributing to India's transformation into a greener, sustainable future.
