Power farming: The onerous task of making agrivoltaics work
₹3.5 crore, a similar capacity agrivoltaics plant involves investment in the range of ₹3.8-5.5 crore subject to elevation of solar panel structure which, in turn, depends on crop requirements. Europe has additional tariffs for developers in agrivoltaics, Saraf noted. “Technically if you get the design and crop right, agrivoltaics works.
The big challenge is the business model," he observed. The first phase of pilot projects revolved around design and efficiency. However, an important stakeholder in the dynamic—the farmer—continues to be a marginal player.
Most pilot projects in India are housed in academic institutions or government-supported organizations. Existing commercial pilots work by leasing land from the farmer. SunMaster Agri stands out in the sea of wheat and mustard fields of Issapur village, Najafgarh, courtesy the canopy of solar panels.
Inside the shaded 2.5 MW farm with panels perched high enough to run tractors, each patch grows different vegetables and fruits. Farmer Harpal Dagar had leased 4.5 acres out of the 9 acres he owned to the solar developer for 27 years. He also works at the farm for a monthly compensation.
“In my fields, we grow wheat and mustard for four months and land is empty for the rest of the year," said Dagar. Farmers cultivate only a crop annually as the groundwater is salty. Dagar’s annual earnings from the farm ranged from ₹25,000- ₹35,000 an acre.
The lease gets him ₹1lakh per acre a year. At the farm, connected to the BSES grid, multiple crops are being experimented with. Turmeric is harvested in the shade, cauliflower and tomatoes are grown in patches, fodder crops, and plantain as well.
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