EnvironmentGS-III· 1 min read
Agrivoltaics: Integrating Agriculture and Solar Power
Why in news?
A pilot project in Rajasthan is exploring the integration of solar power generation with agriculture on the same land, known as agrivoltaics, addressing the conflict between food production and energy generation.
Key points
- Agrivoltaics (APV) allows the same land to be used for both agriculture and solar power generation.
- A pilot project in Rajasthan's Kundanpura village uses ground-mounted solar panels over maize crops.
- This initiative aims to provide predictable income for farmers while generating electricity for irrigation.
- The project highlights the challenge of balancing food security with renewable energy needs.
Background & context
Conventional solar farms often occupy land that could be used for agriculture. Agrivoltaics seeks to optimize land use by combining these two functions.
★ Prelims fact capsule
Agrivoltaics is also known as agri-solar or solar sharing.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper 3: Economy, Science and Technology, Environment