Agri-voltaics Farming System: A Climate-smart Technology towards Sustainability

Abstract

The synergistic combination of photovoltaic (PV) energy generation with crop cultivation on the same plot of land, known as Agri-Voltaics (AV), is a possible climate-smart solution to the dual problems of energy and food security. By 2050, it's expected that the world's food and energy needs will have increased, placing more strain on land and natural resources. To increase land-use efficiency, creative solutions like AV are needed. This dual-use system provides a number of socioeconomic, environmental, and agronomic advantages, such as increased water efficiency, better microclimates, and rural electrification. Notwithstanding the benefits, problems, including high initial costs, inconsistent crop yields in shadowed environments, and unclear regulations, still exist. With an emphasis on their role in climate resilience, sustainable development, and India's shift to a net-zero future, this analysis examines the design concepts, land equivalent ratio (LER), ongoing activities, and implementation challenges of AV systems. LER above 1 shows better land-use efficiency, typically ranging from 1.0–1.3 in mixed cropping and 1.1–1.5 in agroforestry setups. Case studies from ICAR-CAZRI indicate that crop responses to PV shading differ depending on the species and season.