Ten percent could power India by 2050

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said operationalising just ten percent of agricultural land suitable for agrivoltaics could generate enough electricity to meet India's projected twenty fifty power demand.

“If even 10% [of the land deemed suitable for agrivoltaics] is converted [towards operationalisation], more than whatever power requirement is being estimated for 2050 can be generated by agrivoltaics.”

Study identifies 47.5 million hectares

A study by The Energy and Resources Institute published in July identified about forty seven point five million hectares, nearly thirty percent of India's more than one hundred sixty million hectares of arable agricultural land…

How agrivoltaics works

Agrivoltaics combines agricultural activity with solar photovoltaic power generation on the same land, potentially allowing farmers to retain agricultural production while earning additional income from renewable energy.

Government plans dedicated agrivoltaics programme

Pralhad Joshi announced at the seventh Agrivoltaics World Conference that the government will launch one of the world's agrivoltaic programmes under the next phase of PM-KUSUM, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan.

“We will be launching one of the world's agrivoltaic programmes under the next phase of PM Kusum.”

Cost gap threatens commercial viability

Agrivoltaic installations cost twenty five to thirty percent more than conventional ground-mounted solar projects. Joshi said agrivoltaics generate electricity at three point twenty to three point thirty rupees per unit versus two point five to…

“The average cost of electricity supply was around ₹7 per unit in [fiscal year] 2025-26. While some of the major agrivoltaics assessment indicate potential generation of ₹3.20 to 3.30 [per unit], whereas ground mounted costs now ₹2.5 to 2.6 [per unit]. This difference has to be matched.”

Agriculture Minister demands farmer protections

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed the need to address land-use concerns and assess feasibility across regions.

“There must be participation [from farmers] but coinciding with mechanisms to facilitate resolutions as well.”

Policy must ensure land restoration

Chouhan said the proposed policy must identify suitable crops for different regions, establish provisions for recycling solar equipment, and ensure agricultural land can be restored to farming use if farmers decide to exit agrivoltaics.