National Solar Energy Federation of India – Aditi Khandare – 2023

Goals

NSEFI is in the process of launching the India AgriPV Alliance, aimed at streamlining the process of agriPV project implementation and promotion in India. To highlight the perspective of farmers towards agriPV projects as well as their potential challenges, Aditi conducted a perception study in the region of Vidarbha, Maharashtra.

Solutions

Aditi interviewed fourteen farmers owning or working in farms around Nagpur, a city in Vidarbha, with a three-part questionnaire that collected demographic details, awareness of existing agricultural practices, and their inclinations towards agriPV.

She explained potential pilot projects to the stakeholders in order to create an understanding of the economic theory, and then proposed feasible business strategies: self-finance, partnerships with solar developers, and government agency-backed models. A suitable match between the farmers’ demographics and their preferences for each business strategy was found and an affordable agriPV technology was proposed. 

Potential Impact

Out of the farmers interviewed, Aditi found that 50% had a positive outlook towards agriPV, which was majorly influenced by their financial standings. Regarding business model preferences, it was found that farmers are more inclined towards those which were government-backed.

In conclusion, agriPV offers a promising avenue for sustainable development, bridging the gap between energy and agriculture in Vidarbha while fostering rural electrification and helping solve urban migration.