India Hosts 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, successfully concluded the three-day 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference (AWC) 2026 on October 23, 2026. The conference served as a platform for scientific exchange, farmer experiences, and industry engagement focused on integrating agricultural land use for both food production and solar power generation. The primary objective was to strengthen farm incomes while advancing the clean energy transition, with particular emphasis on addressing the needs of Global South countries.
Key discussions centered on implementing farmer-centered solutions through agro-climatic zoning, crop selection, water-use efficiency, innovative financing, and technology adaptation. A specialized session co-convened by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) examined how agro-climatic zoning could guide agrivoltaic deployment, covering shade-tolerant crops, water-use efficiency indices, and microclimatic impacts of solar arrays across different agro-climatic zones.
GIZ led a dedicated session that brought progressive farmers, Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) federations, and rural entrepreneurs into the discussion, where participants shared practical experiences from agrivoltaic installations including operational lessons, revenue diversification, and maintenance practices. The conference emphasized that project design must respond to farmers' needs and field conditions, with economically viable models that sustain agricultural production being central to wider adoption in India and other Global South countries.
Shri Ashish Khanna, Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), presented an overview of conference proceedings and highlighted opportunities to advance agrivoltaics through research, innovation, and international collaboration. Shri Mayank Tewari, Additional Secretary of MNRE, emphasized the importance of continuing collaboration and practical action during the closing ceremony.
The conference included recognition programs with Excellence Awards for outstanding contributions to the agrivoltaics sector. The National Agrivoltaics Pitch-Hub Award recognized promising enterprise and start-up innovations, while Best Paper Awards across six scientific themes honored research spanning system design, agronomy, monitoring, business models, and socio-economic equity.
The closing ceremony marked the formal handover of hosting responsibilities for the 8th AgriVoltaics World Conference in 2027 to France. Ms. Taina Dyckhoff, Counsellor and Head of the Climate and Environment Division at the Embassy of Germany in India, delivered the vote of thanks. The conference concluded with a clear call to action: to implement agrivoltaics through sound science, viable financing, and sustained cooperation with farmers, particularly focusing on the needs of the Global South.