Farming under solar panels: Can agrivoltaics work in India without hurting crop yields?
5 min readNew DelhiOct 26, 2026 07:10 AM IST First published on: Oct 26, 2026 at 07:10 AM IST
The government this week announced plans to introduce agri-photovoltaics (PV) under the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan (PM-KUSUM), its flagship scheme to solarise irrigation. The approach combines solar power generation with crop cultivation on the same land, with the aim of allowing farmers to continue growing crops while earning additional income from electricity generation.
Speaking at the Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 – ‘Powering the Global South’ in New Delhi on Wednesday, Union New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Minister Pralhad Joshi said the approach could help address the shortage of land for solar projects while allowing farming to continue beneath elevated panels. Citing estimates, Joshi said around 30% of India’s 160 million hectares of cropland could be suitable for agrivoltaic projects.
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