BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Thursday said Odisha was finalising its dedicated Agrivoltaics Policy 2026, targeting 1 GW of solar power capacity through agricultural land by 2030 while ensuring farming remained the primary activity.
Addressing the ministerial session of the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Singh Deo, also the Agriculture minister, said Odisha will be the first state to introduce a dedicated policy for agrivoltaics which involves installing solar panels above agricultural land without disrupting farming.
The proposed framework mandates that at least 90 per cent of the project site remains under active cultivation while retaining the land’s agricultural classification and eligibility for crop insurance.
“Farmers will be able to install and own solar system themselves or partner with developers in return for assured long-term lease rentals. The policy also envisages 25-year power purchase agreements with GRIDCO, guaranteed power offtake, grid connectivity and open-access rights to provide certainty to investors,” he said.
The government plans to integrate agrivoltaics incentives with support for drip irrigation, solar pumps, cold storage and agro-processing to strengthen farm incomes. The state has identified 40.7 lakh acre of suitable cropland and 47.7 lakh acre of fallow land as potential areas for agrivoltaic development. The initiative builds on Odisha’s Renewable Energy Policy 2022 and clean-energy investment commitments worth `67,000 crore for 6.8 GW of capacity secured at an investor conclave in February this year, Singh Deo added.
Meanwhile, a 1 MW agrivoltaic project is already being implemented alongside a pilot collaboration with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University to test advanced solutions.