Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 held in New Delhi, first in Global South
Why in the news
Union Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Agriculture) and Pralhad Joshi (New and Renewable Energy) jointly inaugurated the three-day Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 in New Delhi on 21 October 2026. It was the first time the conference was held in the Global South.
Key facts
- Agrivoltaics means growing crops and generating solar power on the same land, using raised or tilted panels.
- 7th edition, held at Bharat Mandapam from 21 to 23 October, hosted by MNRE and the International Climate Initiative (IKI), with the theme ‘Powering the Global South’.
- PM-KUSUM: Joshi said its next phase will launch one of the world’s most ambitious agrivoltaics programmes; about 25 lakh pumps have been solarised so far.
- A Global Agrivoltaics Climate-Sector Technical Framework was launched to guide standards and decisions.
- Agrivoltaic plants can cost 25-30% more than ground-mounted solar.
Numbers to remember
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Non-fossil installed capacity | 308.03 GW (over 55% of about 560 GW) |
| Land technically suitable (TERI) | About 4.75 crore ha (about 30% of 16 crore ha) |
| Decentralised solar added last year | 16.3 GW (7.6 GW PM-KUSUM, 8.7 GW rooftop) |
| Global agrivoltaics capacity, 2025 | Over 18.4 GW |
About PM-KUSUM
PM-KUSUM supports solar pumps and decentralised solar power for farmers; it added 7.6 GW of decentralised solar last year. MNRE is working with the Agriculture Ministry on the next phase. Six states, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, hold about half of the estimated agrivoltaics potential.
Exam angle
- Venue: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi; 7th edition; first in the Global South.
- Non-fossil share of installed capacity: over 55% (308.03 GW).
- TERI estimate: about 30% of farmland suitable.