India has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, backed by an ambitious near-term target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. These commitments align with a broader national vision of sustainable development, enhanced energy security, and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Yet it confronts escalating pressures within the interconnected Water-Energy-Food nexus, where surging power demand, increasing water scarcity, and the enduring challenges of food security converge. Simultaneously, agriculture remains foundational to India’s socioeconomic landscape-supporting around 45.76 per cent of the workforce and accounting for 17-18 per cent of national electricity use. In this context, AgriPhotovoltaics (AgriPV) offers a transformative pathway by enabling farmers to generate clean electricity for on farm use or grid sale, supporting both energy access and farming for income diversification.
This report on “Agri-Photovoltaics Potential in India: Pathways for Sustainable Energy-Food Solution”, published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) presents India’s GIS-Based AgriPV potential assessment, evaluating the country’s agricultural lands through multiple filters-slope, soil productivity, solar resource, flood risk, landuse, and protected area buffers. Analysis suggests that 47.35 million hectares of “restricted cropland” considering all crop categories, out of which around 2.835 million hectares of land is available for selected crop categories suitable for AgriPV. Considering validated AgriPV power density values ranging 0.42-0.75 MW/ha, the national AgriPV potential ranges from 1,192 GW to 2,129 GW a scale that surpasses India’s current installed renewable capacity and represents one of the world’s largest opportunities for dual use solar integration.
Furthermore, the spatial distribution of this potential is significantly concentrated: Six states-Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh account for nearly 50 per cent of the national potential due to favourable agroclimatic conditions, extensive cropland, and strong solar irradiance. Moderate potential exists in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Bihar, and West Bengal, while north eastern and Himalayan states exhibit lower suitability due to steep slopes, flood prone terrain, and ecological sensitivities. The findings demonstrate that AgriPV can play a major role in meeting India’s rising electricity demand while preserving agricultural productivity and minimizing land use conflicts.
Access the report here