The government is working on a policy to boost adoption of agrivoltaics in India, as around 30 per cent of the 160 million hectare of cropland has potential for non-fossil fuel based projects. The policy aims at enhancing farmers' income as agrivoltaics allows combining agricultural cultivation and solar energy generation on the same land, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday. Estimates suggest around 30 per cent of India's 160 million hectares of cropland is suitable for installation of agrivoltaic projects, the minister said, noting that agrivoltaics has started in many parts of the world as it also solves issues related to land availability. The minister, addressing the Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 - 'Powering the Global South' in the national capital, said that 4 acres of land are required to install 1 MW of solar capacity. Joshi said that 85 percent of total farmers in India are small and marginal, who can't spare land by stopping agricultural activity. States like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh together account for nearly 50 per cent of India's estimated agrivoltaic potential, he said. The global agrivoltaic market has surpassed 18.4 gigawatts of installed capacity, and India can also learn from the international experience, Joshi said. The minister highlighted that agri PV plants cost 25-30 per cent more than conventional ground-mounted solar projects due to the need for additional infrastructure for elevated titled structures, and called for a scale-up to reduce overall cost of operation and viability for growth. Agrivoltaics power can be generated at Rs 3.20 (USD 0.034)units for mounted photovoltaics compared to Rs 2.60 (USD 0.027)unit for ground-mounted solar projects, he said, adding that the difference will have to be matched to make the proposition viable. "We are targeting a capacity of 5 GW over the next few years to begin with. We will assess the response of the states," the official said in reply to a question related to the share of agrivoltaics in India's overall energy generation in the future. A dedicated 10-GW agri-PV component to promote the co-location of solar panels with crops is also expected to be part of the proposed PM KUSUM 2.0 scheme. An official indicated that plans are underway for a central scheme to support states in deploying agrivoltaics in agricultural fields to produce solar power from panels erected atop stilts over standing crops. (ICE NEW DELHI)

Fonte notizia: Economic Times