India Agrivoltaics Alliance (IAA) recently organised the Uttar Pradesh Agro Solar Conference in Lucknow.
The conference marked the launch of IAA's Uttar Pradesh State Task Force (STF) report - "Accelerating Agrivoltaics in Uttar Pradesh - Potential Analysis and Policy Recommendations" in the presence of UP STF Chair (Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and Co-chair (2030 Water Resources Group), the Co-chair of the Agrivoltaics Committee of NSEFI - National Solar Energy Federation of India, Director, Ekak Innovations and ex-Agri Scientist BHU, Dr. Shashikant Tiwari and Ms Rupika Singh, India Climate Collaborative
Ms Meghana Rao Pahlajani, 2030 WRG, World Bank set the context of the conference and spoke about the activities undertaken by IAA's Uttar Pradesh State Task Force.
Shri Surindar Ahuja, CEO, Sunmaster and Co-Chair Agrivoltaics Committee of NSEFI showcased the organization's efforts to promote and scale up Agro Solar technology, with a focus on Agrivoltaics. He also shared his personal experience with a successful Agrivoltaics project at Najafgarh, Delhi, highlighting innovative experiments with crop selection and the benefits of solar panels in reducing evapotranspiration and protecting crops from extreme weather conditions, such as torrential rains. Notably, he mentioned the significant revenue generated from the sale of tomatoes that remained intact despite the heavy rains, demonstrating the potential of Agrivoltaics to enhance crop resilience and profitability.
Mr Prashant Badal, CEEW presented the findings of the potential assessment of Agrivoltaics in Uttar Pradesh and the key recommendations put forward by the State Task Force in the report.
Mr Shashank Misra highlighted the need for advanced technology integration like AI and Data analytics to enhance farming practices sustainably.
Dr. Shashikant Tiwari, ex-Agriculture scientist at Banaras Hindu University shared his valuable insights and expressed his strong support for initiatives that empower farmer communities. He highlighted the transformative potential of adopting solar energy in agricultural practices, emphasizing its ability to enhance the entire value chain of agro products, from farm to table.
An engaging conversation among the participants and the panelists followed focussed on innovative business models, operational and structural designs for Agrivoltaics projects, best practices and crop feasibility, key policy recommendations to introduce Agrivoltaics in the mainstream policy framework both at the States and the Centre.
Subrahmanyam Pulipaka Surindar Ahuja Meghana Rao Pahlajani Prashant Badal Prasoon Anand Shubhashree Chakraborty CM Office, GoUP
