Relevance: GS III (Agriculture & Environment) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is the News? (The Problem)

India wants to build massive solar power plants to fight climate change.

The Problem: Solar parks need huge amounts of land. But in India, we cannot destroy our precious farming land just to put up solar panels. We need food and electricity.

The Solution: A brilliant new farming method called Agri-photovoltaics (AgriPV).

2. What is AgriPV?

The Idea: It simply means generating solar electricity and growing crops on the exact same field at the same time.

How it works: Solar panels are fixed high up on tall pillars. They are spaced out like a giant, open roof. Farmers and tractors can easily work on the ground right underneath them.

3. Why is this a great idea?

Double Income: A farmer can earn money twice from the same land. They earn by selling their harvest, and they earn extra money by selling solar electricity to the government.

Saves Water: The shadow of the solar panels keeps the soil cool. This stops the water in the soil from drying up too quickly under the hot Indian sun.

Protects Crops: The panels act like a huge umbrella, saving delicate plants from extreme heat waves, heavy rains, and hailstorms.

4. Which crops grow best here?

Because the panels create a partial shadow, this method does not work for crops that need full, intense sunlight.

It works best for shade-loving or short crops.

Examples: Turmeric, ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and leafy green vegetables.

5. Government Support

The government is already supporting solar power on farms through the PM-KUSUM scheme.

Experts are now suggesting a special ‘National Mission’ to give farmers financial help to build these tall solar structures, as they are initially quite expensive to set up.

The “UPSC Trap”

The “Crop” Trap: UPSC will try to trick you by saying AgriPV is best for tall, sun-loving crops like sugarcane or maize. Incorrect. It is scientifically best for shade-tolerant crops.

The “Land” Trap: UPSC might say this means stopping farming to build a solar park. Incorrect. Active farming must continue under the panels. It is a dual-use system.

UPSC Value Box

Scheme	Simple Meaning
AgriPV	Sharing the exact same piece of land to grow food and generate solar power simultaneously.
PM-KUSUM Scheme	A government scheme that helps farmers install solar panels and solar water pumps so they can stop using expensive diesel.

Q. With reference to ‘Agri-photovoltaics (AgriPV)’ farming, consider the following statements:

It involves stopping all agricultural activities on a farm to build a commercial solar power plant.
The partial shadow from the solar panels helps in keeping the soil moist and saving irrigation water.
Tall, sun-loving crops like sugarcane are the most suitable crops to grow under an AgriPV system.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)