# Rajasthan farmer adopts agrivoltaics to grow maize under solar panels 2026-08-23T01:17:41+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Kojadmal Jat, a 60-year-old farmer in Kundanpura village near Jaipur, has become the first farmer in Rajasthan to own an agrivoltaics (APV) plant, generating 600 kW of electricity while growing maize under elevated solar panels. The pilot, spread across nearly 3 acres, feeds daytime irrigation power to about 250 farms. Jat's annual income has risen from around Rs 40,000 to about Rs 3 lakh under the model, which combines solar energy generation with crop cultivation. The project, supported by researchers at ICRIER, aims to address the trade-off between food production and renewable energy. APV reduces heat stress and evaporation through partial shading, potentially benefiting arid regions. However, elevated mounting structures cost nearly Rs 35 lakh more than conventional installations, making adoption difficult for smallholder farmers. Jat, who was anguished at losing his farmland to solar panels, was delighted when researchers showed him he could do both. The ICRIER team's April 2025 report, 'Solar as a Third Crop to Augment Farmers' Income', found that APV can increase annual returns by Rs 3-4 lakh per acre. Rajasthan was chosen for the pilot due to its high solar irradiation. The model aims to make farmers solar entrepreneurs, reducing dependence on a single income source and building resilience against climatic and market risks. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Agrivoltaics addresses a growing conflict in India's energy transition: the same land cannot easily feed people and power grids. India ranks 102nd on the 2025 Global Hunger Index, making farmland diversion a sensitive issue. Rajasthan, with the highest solar irradiation, is a natural test bed. The key barrier is capital: the Rs 35 lakh extra cost for elevated panels is prohibitive for most smallholders. Subsidies or financing models from the central or state governments could tip the scales. Watch for whether the Rajasthan government or the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announces any APV-specific subsidy or targets in the coming months. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Straightforward reporting of a pilot project with facts, figures, and quotes, no evident slant. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: agrivoltaics, ICRIER, Jaipur, Kojadmal Jat, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Rajasthan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/rajasthan-farmer-adopts-agrivoltaics-to-grow-maize-under-solar-panels/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/rajasthan-farmer-adopts-agrivoltaics-to-grow-maize-under-solar-panels/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/