The increasing global demand for green energy and food necessitates win-win solutions that address these two priorities without undermining each other or causing negative externalities. One potential solution lies in a relatively new technology: agrivoltaics. It enables the co-location of solar panels and shade-tolerant crops, providing an environmentally sustainable source of energy while reducing competition for land between the food and energy sectors. While the technology has been tested in high-income countries, evidence from low- and middle-income countries is still scarce.

In India, there are currently around 20 agrivoltaics sites, mostly managed by research organizations, utility companies or large farmers. At the Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI), we are collaborating with small and medium-sized farmers in Bihar to test the technology. This activity is part of the “Zero-Hunger, Zero-Carbon Food Systems” project, which aims to devise solutions that increase agricultural productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the rural areas of Bihar. In this context, agrivoltaics gains a broader perspective that goes beyond simply combining solar panels with crops, looking more holistically at mutual benefits at the community level, as we will explain.

To implement this project, we partnered with two local organizations, PRAN and Jain Irrigation Systems. PRAN has a strong presence among farmers in the Gaya district and their assistance was invaluable in identifying villages and organizing meetings. Jain Irrigation Systems designed the technical components and supplied and installed solar and irrigation equipment.

System design

The agrivoltaics system designed by the TCI team is planned to increase farmers’ income from crops and energy, maximize utilization of renewable power and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural operations.

The agrivoltaics installation will provide solar-powered irrigation to six farmers. (Photo provided)

The power produced by the system serves a dual purpose, providing energy for at least three irrigation pumps and a grain mill. Should there be any excess power after meeting the irrigation and mill requirements, the farmers can utilize it for other activities. The goal is to maximize the use of the generated solar power.

A farmers’ group owns the entire installation, which includes solar panels, irrigation infrastructure (pumps, drip and sprinkler systems, a retention pond, water filters, etc.) and other equipment, such as a grain mill. Farmer ownership is based on the understanding that agrivoltaics is a capital-intensive investment that can be undertaken by either large-scale farmers or a collective of small- and medium-sized farmers. Given that small and marginal farmers are the target group of TCI’s activities, we chose to collaborate with a farmers’ group.

While the TCI project covers a large part of the total investment in the agrivoltaics installation, the farmers co-finance a smaller share. Each farmer contributed the same amount, irrespective of land size, ensuring that they all possess an equal “share” of the installation. Group members contribute to a joint account based on their actual water usage for irrigation. This approach ensures that those with more land contribute more. The farmers set the rates for different irrigation practices, assuming that the rate for sprinkler irrigation will be twice that of drip irrigation. The group will also generate income from grain mill services. After each six- or 12-month cycle, as predefined by the farmers, they will set aside 10%–15% of the money collected for depreciation costs, equally distributing the remainder among themselves. The success of this model depends on the fair use of water and the consistent collection of irrigation fees. The farmers will benefit not only from renewable electricity generation (reducing carbon impacts) but will also be expanding their cropping areas in the dry seasons as many fields now lie fallow due to insufficient water (increasing food supply and income).

Identifying the project location 

The agrivoltaics installation is located in the village of Nawada in Bihar’s Gaya district. The village was chosen after six months of desk research, field visits and discussions with farmers and officials from Gaya and the state government. Potential sites were selected based on the agroclimatic zone in which they are situated, market proximity, common irrigation practices, water availability and the presence of various farmer organizations.

A small pumphouse was built to house irrigation and power infrastructure. (Photo provided)

After a round of site visits and discussions with farmers, we selected Nawada because of the strong interest from farmers in the village. While other communities showed great potential, several challenges ruled out their participation, including the distance between participating farms, the distance between the proposed agrivoltaics sites and the villages (making close monitoring difficult), farmers’ concerns about the project, and a lack of documentation for the land involved.

We eventually broke ground on the project with a six-member farmers’ group. Additional farmers expressed interest but were unable to make financial commitments; they may join at a later date. Indeed, considering their own investment and the somewhat unknown benefits, the Nawada farmers took a leap of faith with this project.

Setting up the agrivoltaics installation

Seven months after we began identifying a suitable location, construction commenced. The site team, composed of local laborers and Jain Irrigation engineers supported by PRAN and TCI, installed solar panels and irrigation infrastructure (including a borewell, retention pond, two miles of mainline irrigation pipes, and drip and sprinkler irrigation where feasible) and connected the system to the grain mill.

Controllers (right) in the pumphouse measure the amount of electricity used by irrigation pumps and a wheat mill, in addition to water filters (left). (Photo provided)

While designing the system, we initially anticipated that the farmers could sell excess solar energy to the grid or other farmers or businesses in the village. However, through discussions with authorities in Gaya and Bihar, we discovered that no legal framework existed for small-scale power producers to sell electricity without first obtaining a distribution license, which was prohibitively expensive and complex. As a result, the technical components of the installation, such as power output and the number and capacity of the irrigation pumps, were determined based on the future cropping structure presented to us by the farmers. In the future, excess power may also help charge electric scooters and taxis, and perhaps even buildings.

Currently, most plots in the project are under a rabi crop, primarily wheat, and preparation for zaid crops, primarily vegetables, will begin after the harvest. Both seasons are dry and crop irrigation is essential.  The crops will also benefit from fertigation (applying fertilizer through drip and sprinkle systems), which increases nutrient use efficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Next steps

A boring machine was used to dig the bore well. (Photo provided)

Over the coming months, the TCI team and our project partners will monitor several aspects of the Nawada agrivoltaics site closely:

• Energy and water generation: We will evaluate real-world productivity of the new system and relate this to farmers’ needs related to irrigation and grain processing.
• Agricultural production: We will monitor the progress of crops throughout the zaid season, as well as the choice and rate of irrigation and fertilizer use. Water meters installed for each farmer and at each plot will ensure data accuracy.
• Soil health: We will monitor soil characteristics in the cropped field and beneath the solar panels to evaluate soil improvements from improved cropping.
• Economics: Increasing household income is one of the primary aims of the project. We will collect data to understand whether and how the project has influenced the household income of participating farmers. Crop diversification, which we expect to occur, should contribute to an increase in income. Furthermore, we will examine the resources that farmers are paying and receiving from their participation in the agrivoltaics group.
• Group dynamics: While group activities like the one we are promoting offer numerous benefits beyond the reach of any individual member, they also present potential challenges. For example, group activities can be influenced by a dominant member pursuing personal gains and payment delays can cause disruptions to group activities. To mitigate some of these issues, TCI and PRAN will help the group establish its own legally binding framework. The relationship between group members and farmers who did not express interest in joining the project is also important and will be monitored. The project might inspire other farmers to join the existing group, expand the group with more solar panels and irrigation lines, or even start a new group. Or conversely, they might think that the project undermines their operations.

In addition to our agrivoltaics testing, two other components of the “Zero-Hunger, Zero-Carbon Food Systems” project focus on emissions mitigation strategies in the rice and livestock sectors. We are studying farmers’ willingness to adopt and to pay for sex-sorted semen (especially useful in the Indian context) and anti-methanogenic feed supplements to reduce emissions from livestock production. Additionally, we are looking for optimal irrigation management and fertilizer-use approaches to close the yield gap in rice production while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. This work is closely aligned with our agrivoltaics installation, which also features precision irrigation and nutrient management.

Findings from the three project components will bring a fresh perspective and evidence about the feasibility of implementing these activities at scale, in addition to quantifying the benefits they provide to households and verifying their estimated emissions mitigation potential. For the agrivoltaics component in particular, it will be beneficial to have a successful model for community-based agrivoltaics that allows for scaling in Bihar.

Milorad Plavsic is the manager for strategic initiatives at TCI.

Harold van Es is a TCI faculty fellow and a professor of soil and water management in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University.

Featured image: Solar panels were installed on a piece of farmland as part of TCI’s agrivoltaics installation in Bihar. (Photo by TCI)