?2023InternationalInstituteforSustainableDevelopment|IISD.orgMay2023

Agrivoltaics

inIndia

Challengesandopportunities

forscale-up

IISDREPORT

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

?2023InternationalInstituteforSustainableDevelopment

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

May2023

WrittenbyAnasRahman,AkashSharma,FlorianPostel,Siddharth

Goel,KritikaKumar,andTaraLaan

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

Acknowledgements

TheInternationalInstituteforSustainableDevelopmentandTheConsumerUnity&TrustSocietyInternational;wouldliketothankeveryonewhocontributedtotheformulationofthisbackgroundpaper.

Wewouldliketothankourcolleaguesintheprojectconsortiumthatsupportedthispublication,particularlyMiniGovindan,RashmiMuraliandKritiSharmafromTheEnergyandResourcesInstitute;andtheexpertadvicereceivedfromourpartnersinthelastphaseofworkonsolarirrigation,AbhishekJainandShaluAgrawalfromtheCouncilonEnergy,EnvironmentandWater.Wewouldalsoliketothankthemanygovernmentofficials,financialinstitutions,powerdistributioncompanies,andthematicexpertswhoagreedtoparticipateinin-depthinterviewsandsharetheiradviceandexperiences.

TheauthorsofthispaperwouldliketoacknowledgethepioneeringworkundertakenbytheNationalSolarEnergyFederationofIndiaintheirreport,AgrivoltaicsinIndia:OverviewofOperationalProjectsandRelevantPolicies(Pulipaka&Peparthy,2021),whichwassupportedbytheIndo-GermanEnergyForumandledtothewritingofthispaper.

Wewouldliketothankthefollowingindividualsandinstitutionsforthevaluablecommentsandrecommendationsthattheyprovidedaspeerreviewers:

?CharlesWorringham,InstituteforEnergyEconomicsandFinancialAnalysis

?DeepakKrishnan,WorldResourcesInstitute

?ShilpVerma,InternationalWaterManagementInstitute

?ShobhitSrivastava&RahulKumar,MinistryofNewandRenewableEnergy

?SunilMysore,HinrenEngineering

?SuruchiKotoky,BTGLegal

?VenkataKalyanRahulYedlapally,Indo-GermanEnergyForum

?VivekSaraf,SunSeedPowerIndia

ThispublicationcouldnothavebeenundertakenwithoutthegeneroussupportoftheIndo-GermandevelopmentcooperationprojectthattheDeutscheGesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit(GIZ)GmbHimplementsonbehalfoftheFederalMinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BMZ),includingsubstantiveinputsandsupportfromFlorianPostel,KritikaKumar,andNilanjanGhose,aswellasco-fundingfromthegovernmentsofDenmark,Norway,andSweden.Theopinionsexpressedandtheargumentsemployedinthisguidebookdonotnecessarilyreflectthoseofthepeerreviewers,organizations,andfunders,norshouldtheybeattributedtothem.

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

ExecutiveSummary

Inthefuture,manycountries,includingIndia,maywitnessgrowingcompetitionforlandresourcesbetweenagricultureandrenewableenergy.Agrivoltaics—thesimultaneoususeoflandforbothagricultureandphotovoltaic(PV)powergeneration—offersapotentialsolution.Studiesshowpotentialforincreasingcropyieldandpanelefficiency,makingagrivoltaicsanattractiveoptionforfarmersandsolardevelopers.Agrivoltaicshasgrownswiftlyacrosstheworldinrecentyears,andIndiaistakingthefirststepsinitsadoption,withmorethanadozenpilotprojectsalreadydeployedacrossthecountry.

ThisbackgroundpaperassessesthecurrentstateofdevelopmentandidentifiesthechallengesandopportunitiesforthecommercializationofagrivoltaicsinIndia.Wereviewedexistingliteratureonagrivoltaicsandinterviewed11expertsfrompowerdistributioncompanies,researchinstitutions,andcommercialfirmswhohaveimplementedpilotprojects.Thesepilotswerelimitedtotheco-locationofhorticulturecropsandgrid-connectedsolarPV,andhencethisisthefocusofourinterviews(notco-locationwithlivestockorotheragriproducts).ThisbackgroundpaperissupplementarytoacomprehensiveguidebookonPM-KUSUM1ComponentsA&Cthatisbeingpublishedseparately.

WeidentifysevenkeyfindingsforIndia:

1.Agrivoltaicsdidnotnegativelyimpact—andinsomecasesevenincreased—cropyields,accordingtoimplementers.ButpilotsinIndiahaveonlytestedagrivoltaicswithalimitedvarietyofcropsandagriculturalsettings.Better-designedpilotswithrigoroustestingmethodsarerequiredtobuildastrongknowledgebase.Theexperienceofpilotimplementerssuggeststhetechnicalfeasibilityofagrivoltaicswithnochange(orevenanincrease)intheyieldofsomecropslikeleafyvegetables,millet,andmedicinalplantsundershadingconditions.However,better-designedpilotswithrichdatacollectiononthecropmicroenvironmentarerequiredbeforetheseresultscanbegeneralized.Moreover,thecropchoicestrialledinthepilotprojectsarestilllimited,andmainstreamcropslikepaddyandwheathaveyettobetriedsuccessfully.Establishedvaluechainsandpricesupportmechanismsforthesecropsmakeitchallengingtoencouragefarmerstoshifttocropsthataremostsuitableforagrivoltaics.

2.ThekeytothecommercializationofagrivoltaicsliesinincreasingitsattractivenessthroughtechnologicalinnovationsandtestingbusinessmodelsmostviableintheIndiancontext.AgrivoltaicspilotsinIndiahavefocusedontechnicalanalysis,includingcropsuitability,cropyields,andcostcompetitiveness.Statescanencouragethetestingofnewbusinessmodelsandnewtechnologies.Weidentifiedthreepotentialbusinessmodelsandconditionsfordeployingagrivoltaics:

i)agrivoltaicsjointlyownedbyfarmeranddeveloper,ii)agrivoltaicssolelyownedbyeitherthefarmerorthedeveloper,andiii)developerastheprimarypromoterand

1PM-KUSUMreferstothe“PradhanMantriKisanUrjaSurakshaevamUtthaanMahabhiyanYojana”program,aflagshipsolarirrigationschemelaunchedin2019bytheGovernmentofIndiatosupportthedeploymentofsolarpumpstofarmersandtheinstallationofdecentralizedsolarplantstosolarizeruralandagriculturalfeeders.

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

farmerasapartner.Theircommercialviabilityneedstobetestedbeforewidespreadapplication.Technologicalinnovationslikebifacialpanelsandsuntrackinghaveshownsomepromisingresultsinagrivoltaicsandcanbeencouragedthroughstate-sponsoredpilots.

3.Aridandsemi-aridregions,aswellasperi-urbanareas,arelikelytobefavourablelocationsforagrivoltaicsinIndia.ThepilotprojectsinIndiaand

abroadindicatethataridandsemi-aridregionsmayprovideconditionsthatenablemaximumsynergybetweenagricultureandenergygeneration.Acoupleofstudiesshowthatthelowertemperatureandhumidmicroclimatebelowthepanelenabledbytheshadingcouldstimulatecropgrowth.However,thereisashortageofresearchandpilotsinaridandsemi-aridclimates,andthisimpedesthegrowthofagrivoltaics.Indiacantaketheleadonestablishingthenecessaryevidencebase.Intervieweesindicatedthatitwouldalsobevaluabletoexploretheagrivoltaicsatperi-urbansitesclosetocitiesandtownswithproximitytomarketsforhigh-valuehorticulturalproducts.Accesstotechnicalandfinancialresourcesmakestheseareasidealforthenextsetofpilots.

4.Stategovernmentsneedtoreformland-useandtaxregulationstosupportagrivoltaics,aswellasdevelopconsistentstandardsanddefinitionsforagrivoltaics.Land-useandtaxlawscurrentlydistinguishbetweenagriculturalandnon-agriculturalactivitieswithassociatedrestrictionsontheiruseandtaxbenefits.Existinglawsneedtobeamendedtorecognizeandencouragebusinessesthatmayconductbothactivitiesconcurrently.Cleardefinitionsandstandardsforagrivoltaicsareneededtoensureprojectdevelopers,governments,andlendinginstitutionshaveasharedunderstandingofthecriteriathatdefinesuchprojects.Thisisparticularlyimportanttodeterminetheeligibilityforanysubsidiesorconcessionalfinancinginthefuture.However,thereshouldbeadequatesafeguardsandenforcementmechanismstopreventdevelopersfrommisusingtheprovisiontocircumventland-uselaws.

5.Statesneedtothinkbeyondtheuniformceilingtariffregimeifagrivoltaicsisgoingtobecommercializedatscale.Marketmechanismscanbeexploredforsupportingagrivoltaicsthroughinnovativetariffstructures.Asingleceilingtariffacrossastatenegatesthelocationaladvantageofagrivoltaicsinareaswithhighlandrent.Statesshouldconsideralternativetariff-settingapproaches,includingsubstationorzone-specifictariffs,orsupporttheopen-accessroute(throughwhichdeveloperscansellthepowerdirectlytoelectricityconsumersatamutuallydecidedrate)forpromotingagrivoltaics.

6.Capacitybuildingwouldbecriticalinscalingupagrivoltaics.Scientificdesignofanagrivoltaicssystemtoensureoptimalsunlightdistributionisaskill-intensiveprocess.Similarly,cropmanagementundershadingconditionsrequiresadvancedskillsamongfarmers.Co-managementofresourcescanintroducemanagerialchallenges.Stateshavearoleinensuringfarmersanddevelopershaveaccesstoinformationthroughtraining,professionalnetworksandcentresofexcellence.

7.Continuousinnovationandpeerlearningarecriticaltoovercomingoperationalchallenges.Ontheagricultureside,farmers’safetyconcernsduetoproximitytohigh-voltagecabling,aswellasconstraintsonthemobilityoffarm

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

equipment,arethemainchallenges.Themajorconcernsforpowerproductionincludedtheincreasedmaintenancecostduetoelevatedstructures,structural

decayduetothehumidmicroenvironment,andchallengesincoordinatingwatermanagementwithfarmers.Therearesomepromisingsolutions,liketheintegrationofrainwaterharvestingstructureswithagrivoltaics.However,scalingupthesesolutionsrequiresfurtherresearchandpeerlearning.

Thestudyfindspromisingresultsinpilotprojectsandidentifieskeyareasofopportunityforagrivoltaics,justifyingfutureresearchandinvestment.Stateandcentralgovernmentscansupportfurtherpilotsandfacilitateinnovationsbyforgingpartnershipswithkeystakeholders,co-creatinglegalandtechnicalframeworks,andcreatingappropriateincentives.LessonsfromthisresearchcouldalsobeapplicabletothetestingandcommercializationofotheragrivoltaicsmodelsinIndia,suchassolarpanelsinassociationwithbroadscalecropsorlivestock.

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

TableofContents

1.0Introduction 1

2.0Context:Thewhat,why,andwhereofagrivoltaics 2

3.0UnderstandingAgrivoltaics 5

3.1PotentialBenefitsandRisksofAgrivoltaics 7

3.2Costs 9

4.0AgrivoltaicsProjectsinIndia 10

5.0InsightsFromStakeholderConsultations 14

6.0FutureProspects 26

References 27

Appendix.ListofStakeholderConsultations 31

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

ListofFigures

Figure1.Illustrationofatypicalagrivoltaicssystem 2

Figure2.Agrivoltaicsasafood–energynexusapproachtoresourceuse 3

Figure3.Majordevelopmentsinagrivoltaicsinsomefirst-movercountries 4

Figure4.Classificationofagrivoltaicssystems 6

ListofTables

Table1.Potentialbenefitsandrisksofagrivoltaics 8

Table2.ListofpilotprojectsonagrivoltaicsinIndia 11

Table3.Businessmodelsofagrivoltaics 16

ListofBoxes

Box1.SafeguardingagainstgreenwashingandmisuseofModelIII 19

Box2.France’sdefinitionofagrivoltaics 21

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Abbreviations

ADEME

FrenchAgencyforEcologicalTransition(Agencedel'environnementetdelama?trisedel'énergie)

CAZRI

CentralAridZoneResearchInstitute

DIN

GermanInstituteforStandardization(DeutschesInstitutfürNormung)

DISCOM

distributioncompany

ENEA

ItalianNationalAgencyforNewTechnologies,EnergyandSustainableEconomicDevelopment(Agenzianazionaleperlenuovetecnologie,l'energiaelosviluppoeconomicosostenibile)

LER

landequivalentratio

PV

photovoltaic

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

1.0Introduction

Inthefuture,manycountries,includingIndia,maywitnessgrowingcompetitionforlandresourcesbetweenagricultureandrenewableenergy.Agrivoltaics—thesimultaneoususeoflandforbothagricultureandphotovoltaic(PV)powergeneration—offersapotentialsolution.Studiesshowpotentialforincreasingcropyieldandpanelefficiency,makingagrivoltaicsanattractiveoptionforfarmersandsolardevelopers.Agrivoltaicshasgrownswiftlyacrosstheworldinrecentyears,andIndiaistakingthefirststepsinitsadoption,withmorethanadozenpilotprojectshavingbeendeployedacrossthecountry.

Thispaperreportstheexperiencesofstakeholders(powerdistributioncompanies[DISCOMs],agriculturaluniversities,privatesolarPVdevelopers,andfarmers)whohaveimplementedagrivoltaicspilotsacrossIndia.Theobjectiveistobringtogetherevidencefromresearchstudiesandlearningsfrompilotprojectsthroughinterviewswithrelevantstakeholderstosummarizethecurrentstatus,implementationchallenges,andopportunitiesforcommercializationandscale-upofagrivoltaics.Thepaperaimstoinformfuturepolicyactionsandstudiesbybringingoutkeyguidingobservationsandaddressingkeyresearchquestions.

Thefindingsinthispaperaredesignedtosupportstateagencies,developers,andotherstakeholdersinthefasteradoptionofagrivoltaicsbyprovidingpolicyrecommendations,proposingbusinessmodels,aswellasfinancialandtechnicaltransitionmechanisms.

Thispaperisasupplementarycompaniontoa

comprehensiveguidebook

(referredtothroughoutthisdocumentasthe“guidebook”)onhowtodeploysmall-scaledecentralizedsolarpowerplantsunderIndia’sPradhanMantriKisanUrjaSurakshaevamUtthanMahabhiyan(PM-KUSUM)scheme.TheguidebookprovidespracticalguidancetostatesonhowtheycanbegintopilotagrivoltaicsintheirfirstphasesofdeploymentunderPM-KUSUM,whichexplicitlystatesthatitcanbeusedtosupportagrivoltaics.

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Reducesagriculturalproductivity

Increasein

fooddemand

Uncertaintiesin

National

self-suf?ciencyin

foodproduction

Increaseinlandrequirementforsolarprojects

National

self-suf?ciencyin

energyproduction

AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

Figure2.Agrivoltaicsasafood–energynexusapproachtoresourceuse

Climatechange

Energymustbe

decarbonizedtomitigate;

solarisakeytechnology

Increasingpopulation

andimproving

livingstandards

Increasein

energydemand

globaltrade

Increased

croppedarea

Agrivoltaics

Source:Authors’diagram.

Agrivoltaicsisstillanascentpracticewithevolvingtechnology,designs,andstandards.InIndia,agrivoltaicsisstilllimitedtoahandfulofpilotsandhasnotyetreachedacommercialscale.However,existingschemescouldfacilitatethewidespreadadoptionofthepractice.ThePM-KUSUMschemepromotesthe“solarization”ofagriculture.Amongotherstrategies,theschemepromotesthesettingupofsmall-scaledecentralizedgrid-connectedsolarpowerplantsonfarmers’land.Althoughtheschemeprimarilytargetsbarrenanduncultivableland,settingupplantsonagriculturallandisalsoallowedwiththeconditionthatthesolarpanelsareinstalledonraisedstiltsandadequatespacingbetweenpanels,allowingcultivationtocontinue.Thisprovisionenablestheadoptionofagrivoltaicsunderthescheme.

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

Figure3.Majordevelopmentsinagrivoltaicsinsomefirst-movercountries2

?ItalyisinvestingEUR1.1billionforthedevelopmentof2GWinagrivoltaicscapacity.5

?TheItalianNationalAgencyforNewTechnologies,EnergyandSustainableEconomicDevelopment(Agenzianazionaleperlenuovetecnologie,l’energiaelosviluppoeconomicosostenibil)launcheda“NationalNetworkforSustainableAgrivoltaics”todeveloparegulatoryframeworkforagrivoltaicsinthecountry.

?FranceAgrivoltaisme,world'sfirsttradeassociationofagrivoltaics,wasformedin2021.

?TheFrenchAgencyforEcologicalTransition(Agencedel’environnementetdelama?trisedel’énergie,orADEME)definedstandardforagrivoltaicsin2022.

?Implementedseveraltenderrounds,withmorethan100MWcapacityalreadyallocated.6

?Installedcapacityofagrivoltaics:1,900MW(asof2020).PromotionthroughPVpovertyalleviationandpowergenerationfront-runnerbaseschemes.

?BaofengGroupisdevelopinga1GWagrivoltaicprojectinNingxiaprovince.

?Installedcapacityofagrivoltaics:500-600MW.2

?Promotionthroughfeed-intariffschemewithpreferentialtreatmenttoagrivoltaics.

?NewEnergyandIndustrialTechnologyDevelopmentOrganizationpublishednewguidelines.3

?Installedcapacityofagrivoltaics:15MW.

?GermanregulatorBnetzAinvitedbidsforallocating403MWagrivoltaicscapacityin2022.4

?FraunhoferInstituteforSolarEnergySystemspublishednewguidelinesonagrivoltaics.

China1

Japan

Germany

Italy

France

Sources:1.ADEMEetal.,2021;Bellini,2021;ItalianNationalAgencyforNewTechnologies,EnergyandSustainableEconomicDevelopment,2021;EnerData,2022;Khattar,2020;Matalucci,2021;Tajima&Iida,2021;Trommsdorffetal.,20212022;Vorast,2022.

2Thestandardsforagrivoltaicsinstallationsisnotuniformacrossthesecountries.Hence,wehaveusedtherespectivecountrydefinitionsforagrivoltaics.

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

3.0UnderstandingAgrivoltaics

Beyondthebroaddefinitionof“simultaneoususeoflandforagricultureandsolarPVpowergeneration,”therearenostandardsanddefinitionsforagrivoltaicsinIndia.CountrieslikeGermany,France,andJapanpioneeredtheadoptionofagrivoltaicsandareconstantlyevolvingandupdatingtheirstandardsanddefinitions.

DeutschesInstitutfürNormung(GermanInstituteforStandardization,orDIN),aprominentindependentassociationforstandardizationinGermany,usesthefollowingdefinition:“Agriculturalphotovoltaics(agrivoltaics)isthecombineduseofoneandthesameareaoflandforagriculturalproductionastheprimaryuse,andforelectricityproductionbymeansofaPVsystemasasecondaryuse”(DIN,2021).

Similarly,France’sdefinitionofagrivoltaicsmandatesthatthePVsysteminagrivoltaicsshouldnotcause“asignificantqualitativeandquantitativedegradationoftheagriculturalyield,aswellasareductionoftherevenuegeneratedfromtheagriculturalactivity”whilebringingbeneficialservicestoagricultureproduction(Bellini,2022).

Japandifferentiatesagrivoltaicsfromothersolarpowerplantsasthosesolarpowerplantswhereoptimalcropproductionisthecentraldesigncriteria(Bellini,2021).Thus,theprimacyofagriculturalactivitiesisacornerstoneforagrivoltaicsinthesecountries.

Themainchallengefordevelopingastandardisthatthereisnooneall-encompassingagrivoltaicsmodel.Thereisawiderangeofdesignsandconfigurationspilotedanddemonstratedindifferentcountries.Adiversityofparameterslikepanelheight,orientation,andspacingcanbetinkeredwithtooptimizeforspecificrequirements.Theagriculturalandpoweroutputwillvarywiththesedesignfactors,makingitchallengingtoproposeuniformstandardsanddefinitionsforallmodels.Trommsdorff,Gruber,etal.(2022)classifiedagrivoltaicsbasedonagriculturalproductionactivitiesandPVsystemstructureanddesign,assummarizedinFigure4.Thisindicateshowagrivoltaicscanbeintegratedwithclosedfarmingsystemslikegreenhousesandconventionalopenfarmingsystems.

PilotprojectsinIndia(seeTable2)—allofthemopenfarmingsystemswithcropcultivation—aremainlydifferentiatedbytheirstructure.Therearetwotypes:

1.OverheadPV:PVpanelsaremountedonanelevatedstructure,andtheareabeneathisusedforcropping.Thepanels’heightisbasedoncropchoices,ground-levellightrequirements,andoperationalrequirementslikemovingagriculturalequipment.Aquaculture,likeshrimpfarming,isalsopossibleunderneaththepanelswhenitissetupoversmallwaterbodies.Livestockgrazingrequireslargeamountsofland,andoverheadPVinlargeareasisprohibitivelyexpensive.

2.InterspacePV:ThePVpanelisground-mountedorclosetotheground,andthegapsbetweenadjoiningrowsofpanelsareprimarilyusedforcultivation.Livestockgrazingandaquaculturearealsopossibleinthismodel.Extendingagriculturetotheareabelowthepanelisalsopossible,butthecropchoiceisextremelylimitedinthiscaseduetotheheightandshadingconstraints.

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Classification

Examples

Fixed,singleaxis,dualaxis

Fixed,singleaxis

PVmoduleorientation

Fixed

Fixed

Opaquebuildings*

PVgreenhouse

Structure

InterspacePV

OverheadPV

AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

Figure4.Classificationofagrivoltaicssystems

AGRIVOLTAICS

System

Open

Closed

Commonapplications

Permanent

grassland

Indoorfarming*

Arablefarming

Aquaculture

Horticulture

Commonagriculturalpidmuacltfseed,meat

Mushrooms*,meat,dairy

Fruit,vegetables

Staplefood

Fish,algae

Barns,stables*

Verticalfarming*

Useoflarge

machinery

Onshore,offshore

Perennials

Specialtycrops

Orcharding,

vineyards

Protected

cultivation

Grazing

Haying

BiodiversityPV*

Beekeeping*

Openpond

aquacultureClosedpondaquaculture

FloatingPVaquaculture

Annualcrops

Grain,oleaginouscrops

Commoncropsoragriculturalactivities

Croprotation

*Noagrivoltaicapplicationinthestrictestsense

Source:Trommsdorff,Gruber,etal,2022.Publishedwithpermission?FraunhoferISE.

Note:TiltmanagementreferstothedegreeoffreedomformovementofthesolarPVpanelstotrackthesun.Itcanbefixed(nomovement),1-Axis(movementinonedirection,typicallyfortrackingtheseasonalmovementofthesun),and2-Axis(movementintwodirectionsallowingdailyandseasonalmovementofthesun).

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AgrivoltaicsinIndia:Challengesandopportunitiesforscale-up

Althoughlivestockrearingandaquaculturearepossible,nopilotsinIndiahaveexperimentedwiththem.Further,thecharacteristicsofboththesesectorsinIndiaareverydifferent

fromindustrializedcountries,wheremostinternationalpilotprojectshavetakenplace.Forexample,thebulkoftheIndiandairyindustryisbasedonsmall-scalecultivatorsusingbackyardsforlivestockrearing,whileinindustrializedcountries,itisthroughintegrateddairyfarms(Sharmaetal.,2009).Hence,assessingthesuitabilityoftheseagrivoltaicsmodelstoIndianconditionsisbeyondthescopeofthispaper.Rooftopagrivoltaicsisalsoanemergingareaofinterest.Whilesomeofthis