Agrivoltaics on 10% of suitable land can meet 2050 power demand: Pralhad Joshi
· India · The Hindu, Hindustan Times
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated that operationalising just 10% of agricultural land deemed suitable for agrivoltaics could generate more electricity than India's projected power demand for 2050. A July study by The Energy and Resources Institute identified about 47.5 million hectares—nearly 30% of India's over 160 million hectares of arable land—as suitable for the dual-use approach. The government is working to add a dedicated component for agrivoltaics in the second phase of PM-Kusum, with MNRE expecting over 5 gigawatts of capacity within 3-4 years. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the potential benefits while stressing the need to address land-use concerns across regions.
Why it matters
Farmers could retain agricultural production while earning additional income from renewable energy, transforming farms into dual-purpose power sources and potentially securing India's 2050 energy needs without sacrificing arable land.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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