New Delhi, Bhubaneswar: Odisha is finalising its landmark Agri-PV Policy 2026, with an ambitious goal of deploying 1 GW of agrivoltaic capacity across the state by 2030, Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said Thursday while speaking at the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Addressing international delegates, scientists, policy makers, and investors, Deputy CM outlined state’s vision of ‘One Field, Two Harvests’, which seeks to harmonise agricultural production with clean energy generation under the guiding principle that the farmer comes first and the solar panel second. Making it the first state in the country to establish a dedicated agrivoltaics policy, the proposal is anchored by strict legislative safeguards that require at least 90 per cent of every project site to remain under active cultivation while maintaining the land’s agricultural classification and crop insurance eligibility.
Designed to offer flexibility and economic security, the framework enables farmers to either own system directly to generate dual income streams from crop sales and power generation or partner with solar developers under assured long-term lease rents.
To provide long-term certainty for developers and institutional investors, the state offers 25-year Power Purchase Agreements with GRID CO, guaranteed offtake, grid connectivity, and open-access rights, while simplifying the farmer onboarding process that integrates Agri-PV incentives with support for drip irrigation, cold storage, solar pumps, and agro-processing.
Highlighting the urgent need for climate resilience on the face of rising temperatures and erratic rainfall projected across the state by 2070, Singh Deo emphasised that raised solar arrays act as a vital shield for smallholders by creating cooler microclimates, conserving soil moisture, and protecting both crops and field workers. “We want to make our farmers empowered with Annadata se Urjadata tak,” he added. The initiative builds on the substantial momentum of state’s Renewable Energy Policy 2022 and its recent RE Investor Conclave in February 2026, which secured Rs 67,000 crore in clean energy commitments across 6.8 GW.
Ground-level implementation is already underway with a 1 MW Agri-PV project, alongside a strategic pilot collaboration with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, to test advanced agri-voltaic solutions on 40.7 lakh acres of suitable cropland and 47.7 lakh acres of fallow land.
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