India could add more than 5 GW of agrivoltaic capacity over the next 3 to 4 years, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said ahead of the Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026. He said the pace of expansion would depend on state governments creating suitable conditions for farmers, cooperatives and developers.

Sarangi said states would need to notify appropriate electricity purchase tariffs, including feed-in tariffs, to encourage investment. Agrivoltaic systems place solar panels above agricultural land, allowing cultivation to continue while electricity is generated from the same area.

He said the technology could help expand solar installations beyond the five states that account for most of India’s current deployment. Around 85 per cent of the country’s solar capacity is concentrated in five states, with Rajasthan and Gujarat accounting for a substantial share of that capacity.

This concentration has increased pressure on transmission infrastructure because power generated in western states must be transported to other regions. Sarangi said expanding solar generation across more states could reduce dependence on long-distance transmission lines and lower the need to move electricity between regions.

Agrivoltaics may be particularly useful in states with extensive agricultural land but limited non-arable land. India’s theoretical agrivoltaic potential is estimated at 1 to 2 TW, although Sarangi said firm deployment projections at that scale would be premature. He called for further studies to identify suitable crops and develop commercially viable models for different agro-climatic regions.

The Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 is scheduled in New Delhi from October 21 to 23. The conference will examine ways to move the technology beyond pilot projects towards wider commercial deployment, including approaches that can support farmers while increasing renewable power generation.