Agri-photovoltaics in India, Key Features, Opportunities and Initiatives

Learn how agri-photovoltaics in India integrates solar panels with farming to boost energy production and improve farm productivity.

Table of Contents

Context

In the 2026-27 Budget, the outlay for the PM-KUSUM scheme nearly doubled to ₹5,000 crore, with the government considering a National Agri-photovoltaics Mission to achieve 10 GW of capacity.
This move positions Agri-photovoltaics (agriPV) as a primary solution to India’s land-use conflict between food security and the 300 GW solar target for 2030.

Key Features of Agri-photovoltaics (AgriPV)

Elevated Mounting: Panels are fixed several meters high to ensure enough clearance for farmers, labourers, and even tractors to operate beneath them.
Variable Design: Systems can be row-based (panels between crops), vertical (bifacial panels capturing sun from both sides), or greenhouse-integrated.
Micro-climate Control: The panels create a shading effect that can reduce soil temperature and protect sensitive crops from extreme weather like hail.
Technical Optimization: Uses specific spacing and tilt to balance the Light Saturation Point of crops with maximum solar energy capture.

Income Diversification: Farmers gain a secondary, stable revenue stream from selling surplus power or leasing land to developers.
Water Conservation: Partial shading reduces evapotranspiration, allowing the soil to retain moisture longer and reducing irrigation needs.
Land Neutrality: It solves the food vs. fuel debate by utilising existing agricultural land for solar without diverting it from food production.
Rural Industrialization: Generated power can run on-farm ancillary services like cold storage, reducing post-harvest losses.
Climate Resilience: Panels act as a physical shield against increasing instances of heatwaves and unseasonal heavy rainfall.

PM-KUSUM 2.0: Budget 2026-27 increased funding to ₹5,000 crore to promote decentralised solar power centred on farmers.
Proposed National Agri-photovoltaics Mission: A dedicated 10-GW component aimed at scaling the technology beyond pilot stages.
Viability Gap Funding (VGF): The government plans to provide financial support to offset the high initial capital costs of elevated solar structures.
Pilot Installations: Approximately 50 national-level pilots are currently evaluating different panel-crop combinations across diverse agro-climatic zones.

Also Read: India’s Solar Waste Management

High Capital Intensity: Elevated structures require more steel and specialised engineering, making them costlier than ground-mounted solar.
Yield Uncertainty: Incorrect shading or poor design can lead to reduced photosynthesis and lower agricultural output.
Regulatory Hurdles: Lack of clear guidelines on land-use classification (Agri vs. Industrial) can lead to legal and tax complications.
Technical Skill Gap: Maintaining both a high-tech solar array and a sensitive crop matrix requires a dual skill set that most farmers currently lack.
Grid Connectivity: Many remote farms lack the last-mile infrastructure to feed surplus power back into the national grid.

Region-Specific Planning: Develop a Crop-Matrix for different states (e.g., Ragi for Karnataka, Turmeric for MP) to optimize shade-yield ratios.
Clear Governance Frameworks: Establish uniform Dual-Use land laws to protect farmers’ land rights and provide long-term revenue clarity.
Accessible Finance: Create low-interest Agri-Solar Loans and involve FPOs to aggregate small landholdings for better bargaining power.
Standardization of Design: The CWC and Ministry of Power should issue benchmark designs for mounting structures to reduce investor uncertainty.
R&D Expansion: Increase the number of Live Labs across all 15 agro-climatic zones to gather more empirical evidence on long-term soil health.