Hyderabad: In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Chief Executive Officer of National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) Subrahmanyam Pulipaka spoke about the effective use of solar energy in the agriculture sector. The Agrivoltaics or Agrophotovoltaics or solar sharing process has been developed by NSEFI where farmers can reap more benefits through the use of solar energy in their farmlands.
Speaking about the project, Pulipaka said that this has been a success in several countries and the final proposal will be submitted to the Center in the next two months.
Talking about its salient features, he stated that Andhra Pradesh and Telangana together account for 15 per cent of the total solar energy generated in the country. Farmers will get benefit by co-developing the same area of land for both solar power and agriculture. He asked the state governments to encourage farmers to take this route.
"Aloe vera, lemongrass, aromatic plants, medicinal herbs, leafy greens and fruits can be cultivated under solar panels. By erecting the panels at a height, crops like mustard can also be grown. China, Germany, France and Italy are growing cauliflower, cabbage and grapes under these panels. These lands can be rented or leased out too," Pulipaka said.
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Throwing light on solar sharing process, he informed," So far, solar power plants are being set up in non-agricultural lands only. Solar panels are usually 1 to 1.5 inches feet tall. In Agrophotovoltaics, the panels will be installed on a 3 to 4 feet altitude to generate power. Farming can be done as usual on the land."
Talking about its benefits he asserted that this set up will turn up profitable for farmers. They can divert surplus electricity to the power grid and make some income. An additional advantage to this is that solar energy is an environmentally friendly option. Besides, solar power
generation is cheaper than conventional methods. Water used for cleaning panels can be utilised for low-lying crops.
The Central government has launched Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (PM KUSUM) to add solar and other renewable capacities of 25,750 MW by 2022. 20 lakh-off grid and 15 lakh-on grid pumps will be installed as a part of this scheme. The Center targets to generate 100 GW by 2022 and 350 GW by 2030 through solar power. This is better achieved if agriculture lands are put to use. 4 acres of land can generate 1 MW of solar energy. For 1 GW, 4,000 acres of land is needed.
Subrahmanyam Pulipaka stated that NSEFI has researched about Agrivoltaics in collaboration with Germany. By utilising 1 per cent of agricultural lands, farmers can generate 350 GW solar energy.
"We are in the process of formulating effective guidelines for process implementation. We have experimented in a couple of places. The Central Arid Zone Research Institute in Jodhpur is cultivating brinjal, snake gourd, lady's finger and aloe vera using Agrivoltaics. Some private companies are also heading this way. Mahindra Group operates one such Agrivoltaic plant in Telangana's Tandur," he added.
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