“The next phase of PM KUSUM will carry a dedicated component for agrivoltaics,” Joshi said at the curtain-raiser event for the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference, to be held from October 21-23.
The agrivoltaics component will enable farmers to earn from the electricity produced, Joshi said, adding that the focus will be on small and marginal farmers, farmer producer organisations, cooperatives and panchayats, while ensuring that land ownership remains with the farmer.
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Agrivoltaics is the practice of using the same land for both farming and solar power generation. Joshi said solar income can provide greater income security to farmers whose earnings are otherwise dependent on monsoons and market prices. The rooftop programme has reached 5.6 million beneficiaries, he said.
Under PM-KUSUM, around 29 lakh pumps have been solarised.
Joshi highlighted the need for more research on agrivoltaics to understand what works best for different crops, climates and regions. He gave the example of BAIF’s Rural Innovation Centre in Pune, where researchers are testing 17 solar configurations across 30 crops, underscoring the importance of finding the right combination of crop, panel height, spacing, tracking system and business model for each farming condition.India needs Rs 30 lakh crore to hit 500 GW clean-energy target: Pralhad Joshi
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