Sowing the seeds of a solar power intervention
2-minute summary
Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) is an emerging agricultural model in India that co-locates solar power generation and crop cultivation on the same land. By elevating solar panels, farmers can grow crops like maize beneath them, addressing the critical 'food versus energy' dilemma. This model offers a dual source of income, significantly boosting earnings (e.g., from ₹40,000 to ₹3 lakh annually in pilot cases) and enhancing climate resilience. The partial shading from panels reduces heat stress and soil water evaporation, creating a favorable microclimate for dry and arid regions. However, widespread adoption is hindered by steep economic barriers: elevated mounting structures add approximately ₹35 lakh in upfront costs compared to conventional ground-mounted systems. Additionally, smallholder farmers face severe financing constraints and uneven policy support, limiting most projects to institutional or private developer-led pilots rather than farmer-owned enterprises.
Why it's in the news
The success of Rajasthan's first farmer-owned 600 kW agrivoltaics pilot project in Kundanpura village has highlighted the potential of Agri-PV in diversifying rural incomes and mitigating food security risks, while simultaneously exposing the financial and policy bottlenecks preventing its scale-up.
Background and context
India has set an ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030. However, large-scale ground-mounted solar installations require vast tracts of land, often leading to the diversion of productive agricultural fields. This diversion poses a threat to food security in a country that ranked 102nd out of 123 nations in the 2025 Global Hunger Index. Agrivoltaics (APV), first conceptualized in the 1980s, offers a synergistic solution. By elevating solar panels to allow agricultural machinery and crop cultivation underneath, it optimizes Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). While India has seen a few institutional pilots, transitioning to farmer-owned models is critical for democratic energy transition and rural climate resilience.
Constitutional provisions
- Article 48 — Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) direct the State to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines.
- Article 48A — Mandates the State to protect and improve the environment, which aligns with transitioning to clean solar energy without degrading agricultural ecosystems.
Committees and reports
- Ashok Dalwai Committee on Doubling Farmers' Income — Recommended diversifying farm activities and promoting solar farming as a secondary source of steady income for farmers.
Government schemes
- PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) — Component A aims to set up decentralized ground-mounted grid-connected solar power plants (up to 2 MW) on farmers' lands, which can be integrated with agrivoltaic designs.
International organisations
- Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide — Publishers of the Global Hunger Index (GHI), which highlights India's food security challenges (ranking 102/123 in 2025), emphasizing the need to protect agricultural land from complete solar conversion.
Previous UPSC questions on this theme
- Mains GS-3 2020 — Describe the benefits of deriving electric energy from sunlight in contrast to the conventional electric energy generation. What are the initiatives offered by our Government for this purpose?
Mains practice: Examine the potential of Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) in addressing the dual challenge of energy transition and food security in India. What are the major barriers to its widespread adoption?
Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV) is a dual-use land application that co-locates agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land. As India aims for 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030 while tackling food insecurity (ranking 102nd in the 2025 Global Hunger Index), Agri-PV emerges as a vital sustainable solution.
**Potential of Agrivoltaics:**
• **Optimizing Land Use:** It resolves the 'food vs. energy' conflict by keeping productive agricultural land cultivable while generating clean electricity.
• **Income Diversification:** It provides a predictable, climate-resilient monthly income stream. For instance, pilots show farmer incomes increasing nearly eightfold (from ₹40,000 to ₹3 lakh per acre annually).
• **Microclimate Benefits:** Solar panels provide partial shading, which reduces soil water evaporation, mitigates crop heat stress, and conserves groundwater in arid regions like Rajasthan.
• **Grid Decentralization:** Localized power generation feeds directly into rural grids, reducing transmission losses and ensuring daytime power for irrigation.
**Major Barriers to Adoption:**
• **High Capital Expenditure:** Elevating solar panel structures to allow farming underneath adds an extra cost of nearly ₹35 lakh per acre compared to conventional ground-mounted systems.
• **Financing Constraints:** Smallholder farmers lack collateral and access to low-interest institutional credit tailored for high-cost Agri-PV installations.
• **Policy and Grid Gaps:** Current policies lack standardized guidelines, tariff incentives, or dedicated subsidies for agrivoltaic structures under schemes like PM-KUSUM.
**Conclusion:**
Agrivoltaics can revolutionize India's rural economy. To scale up, the government must introduce targeted capital subsidies, mandate Agri-PV standards, and encourage public-private-farmer partnerships to make this model financially viable for smallholders.
Prelims practice questions
Q1. With reference to 'Agrivoltaics' (Agri-PV), sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements: 1. It refers to the practice of generating solar energy and cultivating crops on the same piece of land. 2. The shading from solar panels increases water evaporation from the soil, requiring more frequent irrigation. 3. It can help mitigate the trade-off between renewable energy expansion and food security. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B. Statement 1 is correct as Agrivoltaics co-locates agriculture and solar power. Statement 2 is incorrect because partial shading from solar panels actually reduces heat stress and soil water evaporation, helping conserve water. Statement 3 is correct as it allows agricultural land to remain productive, addressing food security concerns while generating clean energy.
Q2. Which of the following components of the PM-KUSUM scheme is most directly aligned with the deployment of decentralized solar plants on farmers' agricultural lands?
- Component A
- Component D
- Component C
- Component B
Answer: A. Component A of the PM-KUSUM scheme focuses on setting up decentralized ground-mounted, grid-connected solar power plants (up to 2 MW capacity) on barren, fallow, or agricultural lands of farmers, making it the primary vehicle for integrating agrivoltaics.
Q3. According to the 2025 Global Hunger Index mentioned in recent reports, what is India's rank?
- 111th out of 125 countries
- 102nd out of 123 countries
- 94th out of 120 countries
- 85th out of 123 countries
Answer: B. As per the provided text, India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries on the 2025 Global Hunger Index.
Revision flashcards
- What is Agrivoltaics (Agri-PV)? A sustainable land-use practice where solar photovoltaic panels and agricultural crops are co-located on the same piece of land.
- What is the primary technical difference between conventional ground-mounted solar and Agri-PV? Agri-PV requires elevated and wider-spaced mounting structures to allow sunlight, air, and agricultural machinery to access the crops below.
- How much extra cost do elevated mounting structures add to an Agri-PV setup compared to conventional solar? They add an estimated upfront cost of nearly ₹35 lakh per acre.
- What microclimatic benefit does Agri-PV offer to crops in arid regions? Partial shading from panels reduces heat stress and soil water evaporation, creating a more stable microclimate.
- Which research institution in India led the study on the viability of the farmer-owned agrivoltaics model in Rajasthan? Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).