Agrivoltaics: can Indian farms produce food and solar power together?
Agrivoltaics places solar modules above or between crops so land can remain productive for farming while also generating renewable electricity.
One piece of land. Two productive systems.
Agrivoltaics combines agriculture and solar generation on the same land. Modules are positioned at suitable heights and spacing so crops can continue growing underneath or between them while panels generate renewable electricity above.
For India, where land is valuable and agriculture supports millions of livelihoods, this creates a practical alternative to treating food production and clean electricity as competing land uses.
Design around the crop, not just the array.
There is no universal agrivoltaic layout. Panel height, row spacing, orientation, access for machinery, rainfall, water availability and a crop’s sunlight needs all influence whether a project works.
The next phase of PM-KUSUM is expected to consider a dedicated agrivoltaics component for farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and panchayats, while retaining land ownership with farmers. Research into crop- and region-specific configurations will be essential.
More than electricity.
A well-designed system can preserve crop production while adding electricity for agricultural loads or another revenue stream where the project structure allows it. Solar-powered infrastructure can also reduce diesel dependence in suitable applications.
The opportunity is to make farms part of distributed energy infrastructure without abandoning their primary role: producing food.