Agrivoltaics Could Meet India's 2050 Power Demand: PM-KUSUM to Get a Dedicated Agri-Solar Component
The Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy said that using agrivoltaics (growing crops and producing solar power on the same land) on about 10% of India's suitable land could meet the country's projected electricity demand in 2050.
The remarks came around the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference, held on 21 to 23 October 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is working to add a dedicated agrivoltaics component to the second phase of the PM-KUSUM scheme (often called PM-KUSUM 2.0).
The focus will be on small and marginal farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), cooperatives and panchayats, and farmers will keep ownership of their land.
The ministry describes three income streams from one acre: the crop, the sale of electricity to power distribution companies (DISCOMs), and savings on diesel for pumps.
Agrivoltaics (Agri-Photovoltaics): Growing Crops and Solar Power on the Same Land
Agrivoltaics means using one piece of land for two jobs at the same time: growing crops and making electricity from sunlight. Solar panels are raised high on stilts, or placed in rows with wide gaps, so that farming can continue under or between them. The farmer earns from the harvest and from the power. It solves a big problem for India: solar parks need a lot of land, and farm land is scarce.
The minister's claim that about 10% of suitable land could meet 2050 power demand rests on this kind of land estimate. Because the same field keeps producing food, agrivoltaics is being promoted as a way to grow solar power without taking land away from farming.
PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan)
PM-KUSUM is a central scheme run by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) that helps farmers use solar power for irrigation and earn money by producing solar electricity. It was launched in 2019. It replaces costly diesel pumps and reduces the burden of free or cheap farm electricity on state power companies. The current phase is ending, and a second phase is being designed.
The second phase of PM-KUSUM is set to carry a dedicated agrivoltaics component. This would turn the existing idea of stilt-mounted plants into a separate, targeted part of the scheme for small farmers, FPOs, cooperatives and panchayats.
India's Renewable Energy and Non-Fossil Fuel Capacity Targets
India has set clear goals to produce more electricity from clean sources (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear) and less from coal. The main ones are 500 GW of non-fossil power capacity by 2030 and 60% of power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035. These targets matter because power demand keeps rising, and meeting it with coal would raise pollution and carbon emissions.
Reaching 500 GW and beyond needs huge amounts of land for solar. Agrivoltaics lets India add solar capacity on farms without losing crop land, which is why it is being pushed as a key route to these targets.
- Claim: agrivoltaics on about 10% of suitable land could meet India's projected 2050 electricity demand
- 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference: 21 to 23 October 2026, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
- PM-KUSUM launched 2019 by MNRE; targets: 10,000 MW (Component A), 14 lakh standalone pumps (B), 35 lakh grid-connected pumps (C)
- PM-KUSUM 2.0 to include a dedicated agrivoltaics component for small and marginal farmers, FPOs, cooperatives and panchayats
- About 29 lakh pumps solarised under PM-KUSUM (as of September 2026)
- TERI and Energy Transitions Commission (June 2026): about 47.5 million hectares (about 30% of cropland) technically suitable for agrivoltaics
- Non-fossil capacity: about 300.5 GW of about 552 GW total (31 July 2026); target 500 GW by 2030
- India has about 18% of world population and about 2.4% of world land area