India plans major agrivoltaics expansion under next phase of PM-KUSUM

Government Announcements & Schemes

New Delhi: India plans to expand agrivoltaics under the next phase of the PM-KUSUM scheme, aiming to combine solar power generation with crop cultivation and create additional income opportunities for farmers. The announcement was made at the Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026, hosted in India for the first time in the Global South. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi announced the proposed expansion at the conference’s inauguration on October 21, alongside Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The three-day event brings together policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and international partners to discuss the integration of agriculture and solar energy. Agrivoltaics involves installing solar panels above farmland or within cultivated fields so that agricultural production can continue alongside electricity generation. The approach is intended to help farmers earn from both activities while making more efficient use of land. Chouhan stressed that agrivoltaic projects must be designed around farmers’ needs, particularly those of small and marginal landholders, who account for more than 85% of India’s farming community. With the average landholding at around 0.96 hectares, he said solar installations should complement farming rather than replace it. He called for designs that provide adequate height and spacing for farm machinery, allow farmers...