Harvest the Power of the Sun: Agrivoltaics for a Sustainable Future

Renewable Energy Systems are driving toward accomplishing our energy demands more sustainably. Due to its plentiful source, Solar Energy has gained attention on a global scale. Yet, it requires a significant amount of land for energy production. An Agrivoltaic System (AVS) is a niche concept that combines food production and energy production to reduce the land needed for two different uses. This system can also harvest biomass and rainwater from the installed solar panels to enhance production.

A defining feature of Agrivoltaics is when sunlight is shared between photosynthesis and photovoltaics, the two prominent energy conversion processes. Several nations, including France, China, the United States, Japan, and Malaysia, have begun supporting for AVS developments and deployments. The AVS installations are regarded by the Government of India (GoI) as the most dependable energy production for water, food, and energy on an appropriate plot.

Agrivoltaic configurations can be broadly classified into elevated, inter-row, and solar greenhouses. For higher-value crops, elevated agrivoltaic systems are used. In inter-row agrivoltaic systems, vegetation is primarily grown between rows of PV arrays rather than directly under them. A Solar Greenhouse consists of integrating photovoltaic panels on the greenhouse roof, leading to the generation of renewable energy.

Agrivoltaic systems have some key benefits as compared to standard Ground mounted systems. These include providing rural electrification, increasing revenue, reducing water usage for irrigation, lowering Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, temperature and weather protection, increasing soil moisture, ecosystem improvement, and maximum electricity. However, Agrivoltaics pose a few challenges in the Indian agricultural scenario, such as high capital and installation costs, no agrivoltaic-specific incentives, and a lack of awareness among farmers.

While Agrivoltaics pose many challenges in India, it does hold potential in how farmer interests are ‘Perceived, Prioritized and Enhanced.’