New Delhi, October 21: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday co-chaired the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026 in New Delhi and announced India's intention to launch one of the world's largest agrivoltaics programmes under the next phase of PM-KUSUM, NationPress reported.

Source: NationPress

Joshi shared the stage with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Germany's Ambassador to India, Dr Jasper Wieck. He said PM-KUSUM has already saved 800 million litres of diesel and, by October 2026, has touched 25 lakh farmers nationwide, according to NationPress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted the potential of agrivoltaics on X on October 21, sharing an article by Joshi and Chouhan on boosting farmers' incomes, SarkariTel reported.

Source: SarkariTel

What the next phase promises

Citing a TERI study, Joshi said about 47.5 million hectares — roughly 30 per cent of India's 160 million hectares of cropland — is technically suitable for agrivoltaics. Decentralised solar capacity grew by 16.3 GW in the previous year, including 7.6 GW under PM-KUSUM and 8.7 GW of rooftop solar, much of it under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which has crossed 63 lakh beneficiaries, according to the PIB-based summary of his remarks.

Source: CrackTarget (PIB summary)

Elevated and tilted structures make agrivoltaic plants 25 to 30 per cent costlier than ground-mounted solar, a gap the government aims to bridge, Joshi noted. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh together account for nearly half of the estimated potential. Yaani: the same field will grow a crop below and sell solar power from panels above it — an extra, steadier income for farmers whose earnings otherwise depend on the monsoon.

The conference runs in New Delhi from October 21 to 23. Policy specifics — land-use norms, tariffs and financing for the new agrivoltaics component — are still awaited. Sources: NationPress, SarkariTel, CrackTarget/PIB summary.