Can Energy Become Agriculture's Second Crop?

For decades, we have looked at farmland as a place that produces food. Perhaps it is time to look at it differently. Perhaps the same piece of land can produce both food and energy.

June 29, 2026. By News Bureau

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articles

Hanish Gupta

Sunkind India Ltd.

Agriculture's Second Crop

Economy expands

Ambitious renewable energy

Non-fossil fuel

PM-KUSUM

I have often wondered why we expect farmers to depend on just one source of income when so much of agriculture is beyond their control.

A farmer can do everything right and still have a difficult year. Rainfall can disappoint. Input costs can rise. Pest attacks can damage crops. Prices can fall by the time the produce reaches the mandi. Agriculture has always involved a degree of uncertainty, and those who work closest to the land understand this reality better than anyone else.

Yet, there is one resource that arrives with remarkable consistency across most parts of India: sunlight. For decades, we have looked at farmland as a place that produces food. Perhaps it is time to look at it differently. Perhaps the same piece of land can produce both food and energy. A few years ago, this idea may have sounded unrealistic. Today, it deserves serious consideration.

India's electricity demand continues to grow rapidly. As our economy expands, more industries come up, electric mobility gathers pace, data centres multiply, and aspirations rise, the need for clean and reliable power will only increase. At the same time, India has committed itself to ambitious renewable energy targets and aims to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.

The challenge is obvious. Where will all this renewable energy come from, and how do we build it without creating unnecessary conflict over land?

I believe we have underestimated the role that farmers can play in answering this question. Traditionally, farmers have been seen largely as consumers of electricity, particularly for irrigation. Governments provide subsidised power, distribution companies bear the financial burden, and the cycle continues.

But what if farmers were not only consumers of energy? What if they became producers of it as well?

Initiatives such as PM-KUSUM have already started moving in this direction by encouraging decentralised solar generation and enabling farmers to participate in the energy economy. It is an important shift in thinking. Because this conversation is not really about technology. It is about livelihoods.

One of the biggest challenges in farming is unpredictability. Families often have to navigate fluctuating incomes despite working incredibly hard throughout the year. In that context, solar power offers something agriculture has rarely been able to guarantee: a more stable source of earnings.

The sun does not concern itself with commodity prices. A farmer can use solar power to meet irrigation requirements and, where regulations permit, sell surplus electricity back to the grid. It may not make anyone wealthy overnight, but it can provide a financial cushion. And sometimes, having a cushion is the difference between confidence and anxiety.

Of course, this is not a magic solution. Not every acre of land is suitable. Not every crop will thrive under every type of installation. Financing remains a challenge. Policies will continue to evolve. Farmers will not adopt a model simply because industry experts describe it as promising. They will adopt it only if it makes practical sense.

One approach attracting increasing attention is agrivoltaics, where agriculture and solar generation coexist on the same land. At first glance, it appears to involve a trade-off: either grow crops or install solar panels. In reality, it can be far more nuanced.

With elevated structures and thoughtful design, farming activities can continue beneath solar installations. Research from different parts of the world suggests that certain vegetables, horticultural crops, spices and medicinal plants can tolerate, and sometimes even benefit from, partial shading through reduced moisture loss and protection from extreme heat.

India does not have the luxury of wasting land. As renewable energy capacity expands, land availability will inevitably become one of the sector's biggest challenges. Agrivoltaics may not solve that problem entirely, but it offers a more efficient way of thinking about land use.

The same acre can serve two purposes. It can feed people and generate power. The opportunity for rural India is significant.

States such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have substantial potential to adopt such models. If implemented carefully, they can strengthen rural incomes while supporting India's clean energy ambitions.

There is also a wider economic benefit. Agricultural power subsidies place considerable pressure on state finances and distribution companies. Greater adoption of farm-level solar can gradually reduce some of that burden. Farmers gain access to reliable daytime electricity. Utilities benefit from lower stress. The system becomes more efficient.

It is rare to find solutions that address economic, environmental and social priorities simultaneously. This could be one of them. However, execution will determine success. Technology alone is not enough.

Farmers need confidence that these systems will work as promised. Financing mechanisms must be accessible. Local conditions must shape project design. Policymakers, developers, financial institutions and communities will have to work together rather than in isolation.

Most importantly, the people at the centre of this transition must remain farmers. Their primary identity should never be lost in the excitement around renewable energy. The objective is not to replace agriculture. The objective is to strengthen it.

Ten years from now, if a farmer can look at the same piece of land and know that it supports both the family's harvest and its financial security, I would consider that one of the most meaningful achievements of India's energy transition.

India's clean energy future will certainly be built through large solar parks, transmission networks and utility-scale investments. But part of that future will also be written in villages and fields by millions of farmers who choose to participate directly in the energy economy.

The real success of the transition will not be measured only in MW installed or emissions avoided. It will be measured by whether it improves lives.

Perhaps we do not have to choose between food and power. If we get this right, the same field can provide both. And that is when energy truly becomes agriculture's second crop.

By Hanish Gupta, Founder & Managing Director, Sunkind India Ltd.