New Delhi: India is working on a policy framework, regulatory systems and standards to scale up agrivoltaics, which combines solar power generation with agricultural production, Santosh Sarangi, Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), said on Wednesday, ANI reported.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 7th Global Agriphotovoltaic Conference, Sarangi said the deliberations would help India develop a roadmap for expanding agrivoltaics by adapting global best practices to domestic agricultural and energy requirements.
“The policy framework which is required, the regulatory systems which are required, the standard setting which is required is something which has been deliberated in this agri photovoltaic conference and we are hopeful that this will provide the right kind of roadmap and strategy for India’s agri photovoltaic initiative,” he said in response to an ANI query.
Sarangi said the conference brought together international research findings, policy experiences and best practices to identify approaches suited to Indian conditions. Discussions focused on standards, financing mechanisms and business models that could help expand the technology beyond pilot projects.
Highlighting India’s renewable energy progress, Sarangi said the country added around 56 GW of non-fossil fuel-based capacity last year and expected a similar level of addition this year. India was targeting 500 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, with approximately 308 GW installed at the time of his remarks.
He expressed confidence that the country would achieve its 2030 target, citing the pace of renewable energy development over the past two years. According to his assessment, less than 50 GW of additional capacity would be required to meet the target over the remaining period.
Sarangi said agrivoltaics offered significant potential for India by enabling electricity generation without compromising food production.
“So agri-photovoltaic potential is huge in our country because it aims at doing energy generation or electricity generation without compromising on food production,” he said.
Agrivoltaics involves integrating solar power installations with agricultural activities on the same land, creating opportunities to support both farming and renewable energy generation. The approach could help improve the productive use of agricultural land while contributing to India’s clean energy ambitions.
India is hosting the Global Agriphotovoltaic Conference for the first time in a developing country. Previous editions were held in France, Germany, the United States and South Korea. The event brought together researchers, policymakers, farmers and knowledge partners to discuss ways to adapt international experience to India’s agricultural and energy needs.
Sarangi said a key priority was to expand successful pilot projects and establish the policy and regulatory support needed for wider implementation.
“The idea is to take some of the successful pilots to scale and see that these are successful,” he said.
Participants also examined business models suitable for small farmers, farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and farmer cooperatives. The discussions focused on identifying financing arrangements and implementation models that could make agrivoltaics accessible to farmers while supporting the country’s renewable energy targets.
The conference is expected to contribute to the development of a roadmap for India’s agrivoltaics initiative, with particular emphasis on policy support, technical standards and institutional arrangements required to scale up adoption, ANI stated.
