Is it viable to do agriculture below large scale solar power plants in India? 

Harvesting crops and solar energy on shared land offers a promising solution for India's land and water scarcity. Combining solar power generation with farming is known as AgroPV. Among its various benefits is the ability to save resources: as demonstrated by the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), water taken for cleaning solar panels can be simultaneously used for crops growing below the panel area. India has installed its first AgroPV plants with water harvesting systems and some project developers further consider to even integrate dry-cleaning systems.

By now, farmers around the globe cultivate their land succesfully under solar panels. An estimated total capacity of 2 GW AgroPV is installed in Japan, Korea, USA, France and Germany alone. India currently counts  around 5 MW of AgroPV capacity. The topic of AgroPV increasingly attracts the interest of researchers both in- and outside India. Pioneer studies by institutions such as CAZRI, Anand Agricultural University, Navsari Agricultural University, Amity University and Jain Irrigation Labs generated valuable insights for further practical implementation. Fraunhofer Germany finalized another important study on the potential of agricultural activity below solar panels in India. Latest results and expert insights form part of India’s 2nd AgroPV Workshop at Renewable Energy India Expo 2019 on 18 September. Explore future business opportunities in combining farming and solar energy generation with sector experts from CAZRI, AMITY, Next2Sun, Astron Solar Power and Innovation AgroPV Consultants.

Please click here to find more information on previous AgroPV Workshop at REI Expo 2019.

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