WSDS 2026 Thematic Track: Accelerating AgriPV in India: From Pilots to Policy-Led Scale-Up

India is advancing rapidly toward its clean energy and decarbonisation goals, with a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and an interim target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Electricity consumption crossed 1,532 TWh in 2024 and is growing at nearly 7 per cent annually, with future demand expected to rise sharply due to electric vehicles, data centres, and green hydrogen, which together could contribute 20–25 per cent of incremental demand. Meeting this growth while conserving land and water resources highlights growing pressures across the Water–Energy–Food (W–E–F) nexus.

Agriculture lies at the centre of this challenge. The sector supports 46 per cent of India’s workforce, contributes 15–18 per cent of Gross Value Added, accounts for nearly 80 per cent of freshwater withdrawals, and consumes 17–18 per cent of national electricity, largely for irrigation, while contributing about 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture also dominates land use, occupying nearly 59 per cent of India’s total geographical area, while limited barren land is available for utility-scale solar deployment. In this context, Agri-Photovoltaics (Agri-PV), which enables the co-location of solar power generation and crop cultivation, offers a pathway to expand renewable energy without displacing farmland. As of August 2025, India has 36 operational Agri-PV projects with a combined capacity of about 54 MW and 10 additional pilot projects under development, indicating growing interest but limited scale. Unlocking Agri-PV’s potential will require crop-specific assessment, careful system design, and targeted policies to ensure that agricultural productivity, food security, and farmer livelihoods are not compromised.

Against this backdrop, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is organising a dedicated thematic track on Agri-Photovoltaics during World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) to deliberate on Agri-PV as a land-efficient renewable energy solution aligned with India’s energy transition and agricultural sustainability goals. The thematic track seeks to assess the current state of Agri-PV deployment, understand its realistic and potential, and identify policy, technical, and business approaches needed to scale Agri-PV in a manner that enhances farm resilience, resource efficiency, and income diversification for farmers.

Five reports on Agri-Photovoltaics (Agri-PV) are planned for release during the session:

• Agri-PV Potential in India   
  This report assesses the national potential of Agri-PV, examining its role in enabling land-efficient renewable energy deployment while sustaining agricultural productivity.
• Addressing Land Constraints for India’s Energy Transition   
  This report analyses land-related challenges facing India’s energy transition and explores how Agri-PV can help address competing land-use demands.
• Responsible Agri-PV Baseline Assessment Report: Khare Energy Plant, Madhya Pradesh   
  This baseline assessment documents the existing environmental, agricultural, energy, and socio-economic conditions at the project site and evaluates how the co-location of solar power generation and agriculture is being implemented in practice.
• Responsible Agri-PV Baseline Assessment Report: Renkube Plant, Telangana   
  Similar to the Madhya Pradesh case, this report provides a detailed baseline assessment of site conditions and examines operational models for integrating solar energy systems with ongoing agricultural activities in Telangana.
• Agri-PV Detailed Project Report (DPR) Framework   
  This report presents a model DPR framework covering multiple Agri-PV business models. The framework is intended to support project developers, and policymakers, in planning, evaluating, and scaling Agri-PV projects in a structured and replicable manner.

Accelerating AgriPV_Background_Note

• Defining Agri-PV for Farmer Incentivization: What constitutes Agri-PV in the Indian context, and how can a clear definition enable appropriate incentives for farmers?
• Taxation of Agri-PV: Challenges and Solutions: What are the current tax implications for Agri-PV projects, and what reforms are needed to reduce barriers for farmer participation?
• Enabling Frameworks for Farmer-Centric Agri-PV: What policy, regulatory, and business models are required to make Agri-PV viable and attractive for farmers—especially small and marginal landholders?
• From Pilots to Scale: How can insights and lessons from existing Agri-PV pilot projects be translated into scalable, replicable deployment pathways across Indian states?
• DISCOM Integration: What role can DISCOMs, and procurement mechanisms play in enabling Agri-PV scale-up at the state level?