TERI's Landmark Unveiling at World Sustainable Development Summit 2026

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a leading think tank in sustainable development, made headlines at the silver jubilee edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2026) in New Delhi by launching groundbreaking research and tools aimed at fast-tracking agrivoltaics deployment across India. Held from February 25-27, 2026, the summit provided the perfect platform for TERI to spotlight agrivoltaics—or AgriPV—as a dual-use strategy that harmonizes solar energy generation with agricultural productivity, addressing India's pressing food-energy-land nexus challenges.

During the thematic session titled "Accelerating AgriPV in India: From Pilots to Policy-Led Scale-Up," TERI unveiled two baseline assessment reports, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) framework, and a business model selection tool. These innovations are designed to bridge the gap between experimental pilots and large-scale implementation, empowering developers, farmers, policymakers, and financiers with actionable insights.

Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), delivered the keynote, emphasizing India's policy roadmap for renewables. "Transparent bidding, RPO-linked demand visibility, and confidence-building for DISCOMs are essential if new renewable applications such as agri-PV are to scale in a bankable way," he stated.

What is Agrivoltaics? Defining the Solar-Agriculture Synergy

Agrivoltaics, also known as AgriPV, refers to the innovative co-location of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels above farmland, allowing simultaneous crop cultivation and electricity generation on the same land. This approach elevates solar structures to 2-4 meters, providing shade that can mitigate heat stress for crops while capturing sunlight for power production. First conceptualized in Japan in the 1980s as 'solar sharing,' agrivoltaics has gained global traction, with Europe and the US leading in deployments.

In India, where agriculture occupies 58.7% of the land (about 159 million hectares of cropland), and solar potential exceeds 10,000 GW, agrivoltaics offers a solution to land scarcity for renewables. By optimizing panel tilt, spacing, and height, systems can boost land productivity by 150-300%, combining energy yields of 0.42-0.75 MW per hectare with sustained or enhanced crop output.TERI's AgriPV Potential Report

Horticultural crops like vegetables, fruits, spices, and plantations (e.g., tea, coffee) are particularly suited due to their shade tolerance, unlike tall field crops such as rice or sugarcane, which TERI recommends avoiding to safeguard food security.

TERI's Baseline Assessment Reports: Lessons from Real Pilots

TERI's two new Responsible Agri-PV Baseline Assessment Reports focus on pioneering pilots: Khare Energy's project in Madhya Pradesh and Renkube's in Telangana. These field-level studies evaluate site-specific conditions, soil quality, microclimates, crop compatibility, and operational best practices, providing blueprints for replication across India's diverse agro-climatic zones.

For Khare Energy's Indra Solar Farm and Adarsh Jeevan Agrivoltaic Farm in MP, the report highlights successful integration with local crops, demonstrating reduced water evaporation and improved yields under partial shading. Similarly, Renkube's Telangana site showcases resilient horticulture under PV shade, with energy output complementing farm incomes.

These assessments underscore the need for long-term agronomic data, as noted by Mr. A K Singh, former Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI): "The appropriate choice of crop is extremely important. Some crops under shade may show stable or improved performance, while others face disease or yield penalties."

As of August 2025, India had 36 operational AgriPV projects totaling 37.54 MW, a figure TERI's tools aim to scale exponentially.

Revolutionary Tools: DPR Framework and Business Model Selector

Central to TERI's launch are two practical tools. The Agri-PV DPR Framework offers a step-by-step guide for crafting Detailed Project Reports, covering technical specs (panel height, ground coverage ratio), financial modeling (IRR, payback), environmental impact assessments, and regulatory compliance. This ensures projects are bankable and aligned with schemes like PM-KUSUM.Download DPR Framework

The AgriPV Business Model Selection Tool, a digital platform, enables users to input local parameters (soil type, irradiance, crop choice) to compare models like farmer-owned, developer-led, cooperatives, or FPO-driven setups. It simulates financial viability, risk profiles, and ROI, facilitating customized, scalable deployments.

These tools democratize AgriPV planning, reducing entry barriers for smallholders and attracting investors. For those exploring careers in renewable-agri integration, check research jobs in sustainable energy.

Mapping India's Massive AgriPV Potential

TERI's GIS-based analysis identifies 47.35 million hectares of suitable cropland for AgriPV, yielding a staggering 1,192-2,129 GW potential—enough to power India's net-zero ambitions by 2070. Top states like Maharashtra (143-256 GW), Rajasthan (142-253 GW), and Andhra Pradesh (159-284 GW) hold 50% of this capacity, concentrated in horticulture-rich areas.

• Horticulture (fruits, veggies, spices): 80+ compatible crops, enhanced microclimate benefits.
• Power density: 0.42 MW/ha (conservative) to 0.75 MW/ha (optimized bifacial).
• Land efficiency: Up to 300% productivity gain vs. single-use.

This surpasses conventional solar needs (1,839 GW by 2050 per TERI), freeing land for farming while curbing emissions.

Photo by Artyom Korshunov on Unsplash

Success Stories: Pilots Driving Evidence-Based Scale-Up

Beyond TERI's reports, pilots like IARI's 100 kWp AgriPV facility (inaugurated Dec 2025) and BAIF's multi-model project near Pune validate the tech. Khare Energy reports stable crop yields with bonus solar revenue ($20k-30k/year per farm equivalent), while Renkube demonstrates resilience in semi-arid Telangana.

Crops like tomato, turmeric, pulses show 10-20% yield stability under shade, per field data, positioning AgriPV as climate-smart agriculture.

Multifaceted Benefits: Empowering Farmers and Energy Transition

Agrivoltaics diversifies farmer incomes (solar leases + crops), cuts irrigation power subsidies (agri uses 17-18% electricity), boosts women's livelihoods via shade-cooled work, and enhances resilience to droughts/heatwaves. Nationally, it supports 500 GW non-fossil target by 2030, reducing fossil imports.

• Economic: IRR 12-18% in models.
• Environmental: Lower evapotranspirations, biodiversity buffers.
• Social: Rural electrification, job creation in installation/maintenance.

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Navigating Challenges: Crop Research and Policy Gaps

Despite promise, challenges persist: yield penalties for non-shade crops, high upfront costs (Rs 4-5 Cr/MW), policy voids (no AgriPV definition), and flood risks. TERI stresses rigorous trials, as IARI's Centre of Excellence (COE AgriPV) conducts.

Solutions: Tailored designs, subsidies via PM-KUSUM, insurance for risks.

Policy Momentum: IAA and Government Push

The India Agrivoltaics Alliance (IAA), anchored by NSEFI, CSTEP, and TERI since 2023, drives advocacy. MNRE's policy signals, plus state tenders, signal scale-up. IAA's business models (FPO-led, etc.) align with TERI tools.IAA Website

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Academic Frontiers: Universities Fueling AgriPV Innovation

Higher education is pivotal, with IARI's COE leading crop-PV trials, IITs modeling efficiencies, and SRMIST studying ecosystem services. TERI's work invites collaborations, training next-gen researchers. Programs in sustainable agri-engineering are booming—check faculty positions.

Photo by Jonathan Gong on Unsplash

Future Horizons: Scaling to Gigawatts

By 2030, AgriPV could contribute 100+ GW, per projections, with TERI tools enabling policy-led growth. Ongoing pilots, R&D, and IAA efforts promise a greener, food-secure India.

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