Overview
- Union minister Pralhad Joshi said Phase‑II of PM‑KUSUM is likely to be announced soon and will include a dedicated agrivoltaics component but formal approval and scheme details are still pending.
- The announced agrivoltaics element is framed to let farmers earn from electricity sales while ensuring land remains with farmers and prioritizing small and marginal holders, farmer producer organisations, cooperatives and panchayats.
- Officials and practitioners stressed the need for more local research and pilots to find the right panel heights, spacing and tracking for different crops and climates, with BAIF’s Pune trials cited as an example.
- PM‑KUSUM, launched in 2019, already supports decentralised solar plants and pump solarisation and has reportedly solarised about 29 lakh pumps and reached 5.6 million rooftop beneficiaries, so Phase‑II would expand an existing programme rather than replace it.
- If approved, the agrivoltaics push could boost farm incomes through lease or power‑sale models and shift daytime irrigation demand toward local solar, but key questions on financing, tariffs and implementation guidelines remain to be published.