Agrivoltaics to Get Dedicated Component Under Next PM-KUSUM Phase

The next phase of the PM-KUSUM scheme will include a dedicated component for agrivoltaics, enabling farmers to continue cultivation while generating income from solar power, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said at the curtain-raiser event of the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 in New Delhi.

Addressing the event, Joshi said that the initiative would focus on small and marginal farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives and panchayats, while ensuring that land ownership remains with farmers.

He said that agrivoltaics could allow farmers to generate three streams of income from the same acre — revenue from crops, income from electricity sold to distribution companies (DISCOMs), and savings on diesel costs.

According to the Minister, solar power can provide farmers with greater income security as agricultural earnings are often dependent on monsoons and market prices. “Annadata” farmers could increasingly become “Urjadata” by producing both food and clean electricity from the same land, he said.

Joshi noted that India accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s population but has only 2.4 percent of the world’s land. More than 85 percent of Indian farmers are small and marginal farmers cultivating less than two hectares.

He said that agrivoltaics could address the competing requirements of agriculture and renewable energy by allowing crops to be cultivated beneath solar installations while generating electricity above them.

The Minister also highlighted India’s recent growth in non-fossil power capacity, stating that the country added 55.29 GW of non-fossil capacity last year. He said that this addition was higher than the entire installed power capacity of several developed countries, including Norway, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium.

Highlighting progress under PM-KUSUM, Joshi said that around 29 lakh agricultural pumps have been solarised. He added that decentralised solar contributed 16.3 GW last year, comprising 7.6 GW under PM-KUSUM and 8.7 GW of rooftop solar, largely under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which has reached 5.6 million beneficiaries.

The Minister stressed the need for further research to identify suitable agrivoltaic configurations for different crops, climates and regions. He cited the Rural Innovation Centre of BAIF in Pune, where researchers are testing 17 solar configurations across 30 crops.

Joshi said that factors such as panel height, spacing, tracking systems, crop selection and business models would need to be evaluated according to local farming conditions.

He also called on industry and innovators to develop structures that can accommodate tractors and harvesters and withstand local weather conditions. He stressed the need for crop- and region-specific data from institutions such as ICAR, agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

The Minister also called for innovation in solar structures, materials and mounting systems to reduce the cost gap with conventional solar projects. He noted that India has been developing village-level skills in the sector and has trained nearly 70,000 Surya Mitras.

According to Joshi, India's experience in agrivoltaics could be particularly relevant to countries in the Global South, where farms are often characterised by small holdings, strong solar resources and developing electricity grids. India's scale, he said, provides an opportunity to develop affordable and practical solutions that could be replicated across these markets.

During the curtain-raiser event, Joshi launched the teaser for the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 and unveiled its official logo. The Agrivoltaics Pitch Hub, themed “Fueling Farm to Fork Innovations”, was also announced, with the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) as the knowledge partner.

The Pitch Hub will focus on the 3F framework of Food, Fuel and Fibre and invite innovative solutions for the future development of agrivoltaics.

The 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 will be held from October 21 to 23 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The three-day international conference will bring together farmers, policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and international delegations to discuss the development and scaling of agrivoltaics.

The conference will also provide a platform for stakeholders to exchange experiences, develop partnerships and explore practical approaches for integrating agriculture with solar energy, with a focus on farmer-centric and scalable solutions.