India’s agrivoltaic capacity is expected to be more than 5-gigawatts in next 3-4 years: MNRE Secretary

Agrivoltaics combines farming with solar photovoltaic electricity generation on agricultural land. The land keeps its primary agricultural purpose while also producing power. This matters because India needs much more solar energy, but utility-scale projects require large areas. Agriculture already faces pressure from competing land uses, so dual-purpose land can ease that conflict.

A farm could grow crops beneath or between solar panels while the panels generate electricity from sunlight. The article describes this as using agricultural land for its primary purpose and solar photovoltaic energy generation. The exact design can vary, but the central mechanism is shared land use rather than replacing farming entirely.

India’s agrivoltaic capacity could exceed 5 gigawatts in three to four years. States including Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have already run pilot projects. Growth will depend on state enthusiasm, feed-in tariffs, and proposed central support for different agrivoltaic models.

India’s agrivoltaic capacity is expected to become more than 5 gigawatts in the next three to four years. That estimate came from Santosh Sarangi, Secretary of the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy. It signals that farming and solar generation could expand together at a meaningful national scale.

The key condition is state action. States need enthusiasm for agrivoltaics and the ability to notify feed-in tariffs quickly. Those tariffs would give farmers, cooperatives, and farmer-producer organisations greater certainty about the payment available for electricity. That certainty can help them decide whether investing is worthwhile.

The estimate is not guaranteed. Sarangi said it was difficult to calculate precisely, while adding that capacity should be above 5 gigawatts if states act quickly. Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have conducted pilot projects, and the Union ministry is considering support through an existing scheme.

A feed-in tariff is a government-set payment rate for electricity supplied to the power system, often linked to an approved renewable-energy project. In agrivoltaics, it can clarify how much revenue electricity generation may earn. That matters because farming organisations must weigh a new solar investment against its costs and risks.

The article’s key mechanism is certainty. Once a state notifies a feed-in tariff, farmer-producer organisations and cooperatives can better estimate future income from selling power. They can then make a more informed investment decision. Without a clear rate, uncertainty about electricity payments may delay projects or make financing harder.

Sarangi said states need to notify tariffs quickly. He linked rapid action with the possibility of India exceeding 5 gigawatts of agrivoltaic capacity in three to four years. The Union ministry is also considering a central scheme that could support states and encourage different agrivoltaic models.

If agrivoltaics grow as planned, agricultural land could continue producing crops while also generating solar electricity. This dual use could reduce pressure caused by competing demands for land. The article connects that issue to India’s energy transition, because utility-scale solar projects require large tracts while agriculture is already under pressure.

The practical mechanism is shared land use. Solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity, while the land retains agriculture as its primary purpose. States have already tested this approach through pilot projects in Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. Feed-in tariffs could make the resulting electricity revenue more predictable for farm organisations and cooperatives.

More than 5 gigawatts of agrivoltaic capacity may be possible within three to four years, but growth depends on state action. Expansion would support India’s stated goal of 300 gigawatts of installed solar capacity by 2030 and its aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.

The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy helps set the national direction for agrivoltaics. Its Secretary, Santosh Sarangi, has outlined the possible scale and said the ministry is planning a central sector scheme to support the approach. The ministry is also discussing implementation with the Finance Ministry.

State governments provide the local policy conditions needed for projects to move forward. They can show enthusiasm, run pilot projects, and notify feed-in tariffs. Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have already conducted individual pilots. A notified tariff gives farmer-producer organisations and cooperatives clearer revenue expectations.

The ministry may make agrivoltaics part of an existing scheme when that scheme is revised. It is considering ways to incentivise states to develop different models. State speed remains crucial: Sarangi said that if states act quickly, capacity above 5 gigawatts should not be an issue within three to four years.

PM-KUSUM was launched in 2019 to expand the use of solar energy in agriculture. Agrivoltaics fits that direction by keeping agricultural land in use while adding solar photovoltaic generation. The article reports that PM-KUSUM 2.0 was likely to be announced soon, with agrivoltaics expected to receive a dedicated component.

The connection is practical as well as strategic. Agrivoltaic projects can use farmland for its primary purpose and produce electricity on the same site. That may ease competition for land, since utility-scale solar needs large tracts and agriculture faces competing land pressures. Feed-in tariffs would help organisations decide whether to invest.

This approach supports India’s stated ambition of 300 gigawatts of installed solar capacity by 2030. It also fits the country’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. The article indicates that central support and state implementation will determine how quickly agrivoltaics expand.

Solar photovoltaic electricity is electricity produced directly from sunlight using photovoltaic cells. “Photovoltaic” refers to the conversion of light into electrical power. This technology matters for agrivoltaics because panels can generate renewable electricity while the surrounding land continues serving agriculture.

Inside a panel, semiconductor cells absorb sunlight. The energy releases and moves charged particles, creating direct-current electricity. Wires collect that current, and an inverter commonly converts it into alternating current for buildings or the electricity grid. Panels can therefore turn sunlight arriving on a farm into usable electrical power.

The article does not explain the technical conversion process, but it identifies solar photovoltaic generation as the energy-producing part of agrivoltaics. In its wider context, this technology helps India expand solar capacity while limiting conflict with agricultural land. India’s stated target is 300 gigawatts of installed solar capacity by 2030.