Op-ed: As India hosts the Agrivoltaics World Conference, farms can grow crops and power
In one line: An Indian Express op-ed argues that agrivoltaics, growing crops under solar panels, can add income for small farmers and speed up solar expansion, as New Delhi hosts the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference from 21 to 23 October 2026.
Published 21 October 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
India is hosting the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 21 to 23 October 2026, under the theme "Powering the Global South". The annual series began online in 2020 and was held in Freiburg, Germany, in 2025. An op-ed in The Indian Express on 21 October argues that agrivoltaics, or agri-photovoltaics (AgriPV), which lets farmers grow crops and generate solar electricity on the same land, can give them a new source of income. It says the Centre's PM-KUSUM scheme for farm solar is being expanded to create separate space for AgriPV, and that the effort should target small and marginal farmers, who it says make up about 86% of India's farmers.
The op-ed argues that AgriPV cuts farmers' costs by replacing diesel or purchased power, and creates a microclimate that can protect crops from heat stress, drought, excess solar radiation and hail. It says AgriPV designs typically aim to keep about 70% or more of incoming sunlight at the crop canopy, and that success depends on shade-tolerant crops with stable yields. It cites research at ICAR's Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, and BAIF's Rural Innovation Centre, Pune. A 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot under the Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute was inaugurated on 18 December 2025, with MNRE, the National Institute of Solar Energy and Germany's GIZ as partners; the op-ed says it will generate two years of data on crop suitability.
PM-KUSUM, launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in 2019, supports small solar plants of up to 2 MW on barren or fallow farmland (Component A), standalone solar pumps (Component B) and solarisation of grid-connected pumps (Component C). In March 2026 MNRE extended its deadlines, with Component A commissioning now due by 31 March 2027, after banks were slow to lend. The op-ed names the risks itself: farmer trust, protection of land ownership, and the need to involve tenant cultivators and women farmers in design and benefit sharing. It sees the International Solar Alliance as a base for joint AgriPV research with other sunny countries.
Prelims facts
- The 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference is being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 21 to 23 October 2026, with the theme "Powering the Global South".
- Agrivoltaics (AgriPV) uses the same land for crops and solar power; designs typically aim to keep about 70% or more of sunlight at the crop canopy, the op-ed says.
- A 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, was inaugurated on 18 December 2025 with MNRE, NISE and GIZ as partners.
- PM-KUSUM (2019, MNRE) has three components: small solar plants on barren land, standalone solar pumps and solarisation of grid-connected pumps.
- The op-ed flags farmer trust, land ownership and inclusion of tenants and women farmers as key risks.
Quick recall
- Where and when is the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference held?
- Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, 21 to 23 October 2026
- What is the conference theme?
- "Powering the Global South"
- What is agrivoltaics?
- Using the same land for both crops and solar power generation
- What capacity is the Agri-PV pilot at ICAR-IARI?
- 100 kWp
- When was the ICAR-IARI Agri-PV pilot inaugurated?
- 18 December 2025
- Which ministry runs PM-KUSUM?
- The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
- What is the maximum plant size under PM-KUSUM Component A?
- 2 MW
- Which two countries launched the International Solar Alliance?
- India and France, at COP21 in Paris in 2015
Prelims practice question
With reference to PM-KUSUM, consider the following statements:
1. It is implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
2. Under Component A, farmers can set up decentralised solar plants of up to 2 MW on barren or fallow land.
3. Component C provides only diesel pumps to farmers without grid access.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statement 1 is correct: MNRE runs the scheme. Statement 2 is correct: Component A covers plants of up to 2 MW on barren or fallow land. Statement 3 is incorrect: Component C solarises existing grid-connected pumps; standalone solar pumps fall under Component B, and the scheme does not provide diesel pumps.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Renewable energy expansion, land use and farmers' incomes
- How to use this
Use agrivoltaics as an example of how India can add solar capacity on farmland without a land conflict, helping its renewable energy goals.
- PM-KUSUM supports solar plants of up to 2 MW on barren or fallow farmland and the solarisation of farm pumps.
- AgriPV designs aim to keep about 70% or more of sunlight at the crop canopy, so land yields both food and power.
- PM-KUSUM Component A commissioning was extended to 31 March 2027 after banks were slow to lend, showing finance is a bottleneck.
- How to use this
Add agrivoltaics as a clean technology that decentralises solar generation onto farms while keeping them productive.
- A 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot at ICAR-IARI, inaugurated on 18 December 2025, will generate two years of data on crop suitability.
- AgriPV cuts farmers' costs by replacing diesel or purchased power with solar electricity generated on the same land.
The op-ed proposes the International Solar Alliance as a platform for AgriPV research across sunny countries.
Mains practice question
Agrivoltaics is being promoted as a way to ease the conflict between land for food and land for solar power. Discuss its potential and the safeguards needed in India. (150 words)
Model answer
Agrivoltaics (AgriPV) uses the same land for crops and solar panels. As India hosts the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference (21 to 23 October 2026), it is pitched as a way to avoid choosing between food and power.
Potential
- Extra income: electricity becomes a second revenue stream; diesel or bought power is replaced.
- Crop protection: partial shade can shield crops from heat stress, drought and hail.
- Policy base: PM-KUSUM already supports farm solar plants of up to 2 MW; an op-ed says it is being expanded for AgriPV.
- Research: a 100 kWp pilot at ICAR-IARI (December 2025) will generate crop suitability data.
Safeguards
- Choose shade-tolerant crops with stable yields.
- Protect land ownership in lease deals.
- Include tenant cultivators and women farmers in benefit sharing.
- Ease finance delays, which pushed the PM-KUSUM Component A commissioning deadline to March 2027.
With these safeguards, AgriPV can serve both energy and farm goals.
The basics
Why this matters
India wants far more solar power, and solar parks need land. India also has millions of small farms that must keep producing food. Agrivoltaics tries to end this tug of war by using the same plot for both crops and solar panels. As New Delhi hosts the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference from 21 to 23 October 2026, an op-ed in The Indian Express argues that this could raise farm incomes and speed up India's energy transition.
What agrivoltaics is
Agrivoltaics (also called agri-photovoltaics or AgriPV) means mounting solar panels high above, or in rows between, crops, so that the land yields both food and electricity. The panels give partial shade, and designs try to let enough sunlight reach the plants.
The case made in the op-ed
The op-ed says AgriPV adds a revenue stream for farmers, cuts their spending on diesel or bought power, and creates a microclimate that can protect crops from heat stress, drought, excess radiation and hail. It says designs typically aim to keep about 70% or more of incoming sunlight at the crop canopy, and that adjustable panels add flexibility. It argues that PM-KUSUM, the Centre's farm solar scheme, is being expanded to make room for AgriPV, and that small and marginal farmers, about 86% of farmers, should be the focus.
- 1Electricity incomePower sold or used, as an extra revenue stream
- 2Lower input costsReplaces diesel or purchased power for pumps
- 3Crop protectionPartial shade can shield crops from heat stress, drought and hail
The evidence base
India is building research capacity. A 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot at the Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at IARI in New Delhi was inaugurated on 18 December 2025, with the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), MNRE and Germany's GIZ as partners. The op-ed says it will produce two years of data on which crops suit the shade. It also cites work at ICAR's Central Arid Zone Research Institute in Jodhpur and BAIF's Rural Innovation Centre in Pune.
- 2020First edition, online
- 2022Piacenza, Italy
- 2024Denver, USA
- 2025Freiburg, Germany
- 21 to 23 October 20267th edition at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
The cautions
The op-ed flags farmer trust, protection of land ownership, and the need to include tenant cultivators and women farmers in project design and benefit sharing. Crops must be shade-tolerant and give stable yields. It sees the International Solar Alliance as a base for shared research with other sunny countries.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
It links GS3 energy infrastructure, farm technology and farmers' incomes, and the environment theme of land-use conflicts in the energy transition.
The core idea
Agrivoltaics uses one plot for both food and power. The op-ed wants PM-KUSUM to make space for it, backed by research at the Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at IARI, and sees the International Solar Alliance as a way to share the model across the Global South.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 21 to 23 October 2026: 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi; theme "Powering the Global South".
- 18 December 2025: 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot inaugurated at ICAR-IARI.
- About 70% or more: share of sunlight AgriPV designs aim to keep at the crop canopy (op-ed).
- About 86%: small and marginal farmers' share of farmers (op-ed).
- 2019: PM-KUSUM launched by MNRE.
Where to go next
- Agrivoltaics: how crops and panels share a field
- PM-KUSUM: the scheme the op-ed wants to expand
- Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at IARI: India's research base for AgriPV
- International Solar Alliance: the platform for sharing the model abroad
Go deeper: land for food or land for power?
The case for. Ground-mounted solar parks take up large areas, which can compete with farming. Agrivoltaics avoids an either-or choice. The op-ed argues that it gives farmers steady electricity income, lowers diesel costs and can protect crops from heat and hail, which matters more as heatwaves grow. Under PM-KUSUM, farmers can already host small solar plants; AgriPV would let them keep farming the same land.
The case for caution. Shade can cut yields of sun-loving crops, so crop choice is critical, which is why the two-year data from the Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at IARI matters. Raised structures cost more than ground-mounted panels. Land-lease deals can weaken farmers' control over land, and tenants and women farmers, who often do not hold titles, may be left out of the benefits. The op-ed itself names farmer trust and land ownership as risks.
The policy questions. Who owns the panels: the farmer, a cooperative or a developer? How is income shared with tenants? How are grid connections and tariffs set? PM-KUSUM's own delays, with Component A commissioning now due by 31 March 2027, show that finance and grid access can slow farm solar.
The global angle. Through the International Solar Alliance and the conference theme "Powering the Global South", India can share designs and data with other sunny, farm-dependent countries.
Agrivoltaics
How crops and panels share a field
In one line: Agrivoltaics (AgriPV) is the use of the same land for both farming and solar power generation.
How it works
Panels are raised on tall structures over crops, placed in spaced rows, or mounted vertically, so machines and sunlight can still reach the field. Some systems tilt or track the Sun, which lets operators change how much shade falls on the crop. The partial shade can lower soil temperature and evaporation, which may help crops in hot, dry regions.
What decides success
Crops must tolerate partial shade and give stable yields. Design must balance power output against light for plants. Costs are higher than for ground-mounted panels, so extra revenue must cover them.
Where to go next
PM-KUSUM
The scheme the op-ed wants to expand
In one line: PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan), launched in 2019 by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, helps farmers use and generate solar power.
Its three parts
Component A supports small decentralised solar plants, of up to 2 MW each, on barren or fallow farmland, with power sold to the grid. Component B supports standalone solar pumps where there is no grid. Component C solarises existing grid-connected pumps, so that farmers can sell surplus power.
Why it is in the news
In March 2026 MNRE extended timelines: for Component A and feeder-level solarisation, financial closure by 30 September 2026 and commissioning by 31 March 2027, after banks were slow to lend. The op-ed says the scheme is being expanded to create separate space for AgriPV.
Where to go next
International Solar Alliance
The platform for sharing the model abroad
In one line: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a treaty-based body launched by India and France at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015 to promote solar energy, especially in sun-rich countries.
What it does
The ISA, headquartered in Gurugram, helps member countries with solar finance, training, project preparation and common standards. Membership is open to UN member countries that sign and ratify its framework agreement, not to all UN members automatically.
Why it is in the news
The op-ed sees the ISA as a natural base for joint research and training on agrivoltaics across the Global South, in line with the conference theme "Powering the Global South".
Where to go next
International Solar Alliance: every story that connects to it (2)
Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV at IARI
India's research base for AgriPV
In one line: A 100 kWp Agri-PV pilot inaugurated on 18 December 2025 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, under its Centre of Excellence on Agri-PV.
What it is
It was inaugurated by Dr M.L. Jat, Secretary (DARE) and Director General of ICAR. Partners include the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the National Institute of Solar Energy and GIZ India, working for Germany's development ministry. ICAR described it as a first-of-its-kind system in India, with single-axis solar tracking.
Why it matters
IARI will test many crop combinations to build a standard crop matrix for Agri-PV conditions. The op-ed says the centre will generate two years of data to guide crop choice and design, the evidence farmers and policymakers need before scaling up.
Where to go next
Take the 21 October 2026 quiz: 30 Prelims-style questions with answers