Various sectors, including agriculture, have realized the benefits of cost savings from switching to solar energy. For a hydroponics farmer, recovering the cost of the solar system in three years, saving on electricity costs, which was more than half of the monthly expenses, and contributing to the environment have been the major advantages of going solar.

For Harbar S. Dhindsa, the co-founder and Chief Marketing Manager of Farmcult, solarizing his 2.5-acre hydroponics farm was “utilizing nature’s potential.”

Dhindsa has saved over ₹25,000 (~$291) per month in electricity bills over the past four years. “Electricity accounted for over 60% of our monthly expenses. The decision to move to solar power helped us put those funds towards innovation,” said Dhindsa.

Located in Punjab’s Rupnagar district, the 15 kW system powers all of the farm’s operations. “Besides growing vegetables, we also use the farm for research and development purposes. We spent approximately ₹750,000 (~$8,747) on installing the system. While we did not receive any subsidy, we have recovered the installation cost in the past three years,” he says.

A significant amount of electricity is required to power pumps, lighting, and other equipment in a hydroponics farm. On average, 30-32 W per square foot of grow space would be required to power a hydroponics farm.

Hydroponics is a soil-less farming method that uses water-rich nutrient solutions to grow plants. It requires a controlled environment to optimize plant growth, including precise control over temperature, humidity, light intensity, and nutrient concentrations.

Asked about the motivation to switch to solar energy, Dhindsa said, “There were two major reasons for making the switch. Firstly, we knew that the initial investment would eventually pay itself back in the form of savings on electricity bills. Secondly, our idea is to promote sustainable living and healthy eating; switching to clean energy was a natural choice.”

Dhindsa, along with his co-founder Pritpal Singh, also helps other farmers switch to hydroponics and solar energy.

The hydroponics farm cultivates a variety of leafy vegetables, such as baby spinach, lettuce, basil, microgreens, swiss chard, and other leafy greens. The startup also provides consultancy services, workshops, and educational tours for other farmers.

“When we consult with farmers, we try to convince them to install solar systems on their farms as well. With proper direction, many of our pipeline consultancy projects are solar hydroponics farms,” Dhindsa said.

While the concept is still new, hydroponics farms across the country are slowly realizing the benefits of transitioning to solar energy.

Solar power is also being widely adopted in India’s agricultural sector, with government programs like PM KUSUM facilitating the installation of small-scale solar projects, the deployment of standalone solar-powered pumps, and the solarization of existing grid-connected pumps. The KUSUM program focuses on enhancing energy access, increasing farmers’ incomes, and curbing environmental pollution using solar energy.

Researchers from Cornell University found that growing commercial crops on solar farms is a potentially efficient use of agricultural land, which can increase both commercial food production and improve solar panel performance and longevity.