Page 69 - Policy Economic Report - September 2026

POLICY AND ECONOMIC
OIL & GAS MARKET

PM-KUSUM and 8.7 GW of rooftop solar, largely under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which is
touching 5.6 million beneficiaries.

The Union Minister highlighted the need for more research on Agrivoltaics to understand what works
best for different crops, climates and regions. He gave the example of BAIF's Rural Innovation Centre
in Pune where researchers are testing 17 solar configurations across 30 crops, underscoring the
importance of finding the right combination of crop, panel height, spacing, tracking system and
business model for each farming condition.

Shri Joshi urged stakeholders, including industry and innovators, to focus on structures that allow
tractors and harvesters to move freely and withstand local weather conditions, crop-wise and region-
wise data generation by ICAR, agricultural universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and innovation in
structures, materials and mounting systems to narrow the cost gap with conventional solar. He said
India is already building village-level skills and has trained almost 70,000 Surya Mitras.
The Minister said India’s experience in agrivoltaics can be particularly relevant to the Global South,
where farms have small holdings, abundant sunshine and grids that are still catching up. He said
India’s scale provides an opportunity to develop affordable and practical solutions that can be
replicated across the Global South.

During the Curtain Raiser, the Union Minister also launched the teaser of the 7th Agrivoltaics World
Conference 2026 along with the unveiling of the official Conference logo. The Agrivoltaics Pitch Hub
on the theme “Fueling Farm to Fork Innovations” was also announced with the National Solar Energy
Federation of India (NSEFI) as the knowledge partner. Built around the 3F framework of Food, Fuel
and Fibre, the Pitch Hub will invite innovative solutions that can contribute to the future of
agrivoltaics. Several national and international stakeholders, along with senior officials and
representatives from Ministries, State Departments, research and industry sectors, were present
during the Curtain Raiser.

The 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 will be held from 21st to 23rd October 2026 at Bharat
Mandapam, New Delhi. The three-day international conference will bring together farmers,
policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, international delegations and other stakeholders from
across the world to deliberate on the future of agrivoltaics and explore pathways for scaling the
sector.

The Conference is expected to provide an important platform for global and national stakeholders to
exchange experiences, foster partnerships and identify practical pathways for integrating agriculture
and solar energy. It will seek to advance farmer-centric, sustainable and scalable agrivoltaics solutions
while strengthening India’s role in shaping the global discourse on the sector.

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