Day 3 of #REINVEST2024 featured a thought-provoking session on "RE INVEST Agrivoltaics: Germany for Indo-German Platform for Investments in Renewable Energy." Moderated by Ms. Suman Chandra, IAS, Director, MNRE, the session brought together key industry leaders to discuss the potential of #Agrivoltaics in driving India’s #renewableenergy future.
Panelists:
Josh Wycliffe, COO, International Solar Alliance
Mr.Vivek Saraf, CEO, Sunseed APZ
Ms. Carolin Gassner, Head of Department, South Asia at KFW
Mr. Julius Spatz, GIZ Head of Asia Division
Elisabeth Richter, Deputy Head of Economic Cooperation and Development, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Saptak Ghosh, Senior Policy Specialist, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy
Mr. Jethani, Scientist, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
Key Highlights:
Advancing Agrivoltaics : The session highlighted #agrivoltaics as a simple yet powerful concept—combining renewable energy sources with agriculture. It offers a tremendous opportunity to enhance agricultural productivity and provide additional income streams for farmers.
India’s Agricultural Growth: India has seen a remarkable increase in agricultural output over the past 14 years, even in states not traditionally known for agriculture. Agrivoltaics can further support this growth, allowing farmers to diversify their activities, contributing to year-round income stability.
Policy and Coordination: The session emphasized the need for better coordination between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Ministry of Agriculture. Aligning subsidies for agri-PV systems with existing protected cultivation projects could provide significant incentives for farmers to adopt renewable energy solutions on their land.
Empowering Farmers Through #SkillDevelopment: Training farmers, particularly women, in operating and maintaining solar panels is crucial. This would not only empower them but also create a skilled workforce, opening up numerous job opportunities in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector.
#Decentralized #EnergySolutions: The discussion pointed out that transitioning to decentralized renewable energy systems, such as rooftop or community solar, can help address grid-related balancing and fluctuations, making the energy supply more stable.
Financing Agrivoltaics: The panel underscored the importance of developing an operational model that involves green stakeholders. Refinancing through NBFCs was suggested as a practical approach to support agricultural projects integrating renewable energy solutions.
The German government also expressed pride in its current initiatives and reiterated its commitment to further investment in renewable energy projects, signaling the benefits of Indo-German cooperation.