Patna: Speakers at the Bihar Agri-PV Summit 2026 held in the state capital on Tuesday said Bihar, as an agrarian state with fertile but limited land, has strong potential to expand agri-photovoltaic (PV) models that combine farming with solar power generation.They said closer coordination between the agriculture and energy sectors could increase farmers’ income, create additional economic opportunities and help Bihar achieve its clean and renewable energy targets. The summit was organised to promote the integration of agriculture and solar energy and to support wider adoption of clean energy in the state.Participants stressed the need for collaboration among the govt, private sector, farmers, technical experts and financial institutions to implement Agri-PV projects on a large scale. They said effective models would require suitable technology, land-use planning and finance.Addressing the summit, Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency director Rahul Kumar said fertile agricultural land should not be diverted exclusively for solar projects. Instead, the state should explore Agri-PV models in areas where horticulture and allied farming activities are already practised.Kumar said the model could allow crops and allied activities to continue while the same land could be used for solar power generation. He identified horticulture-based regions, small landholdings and fruit-growing areas as particularly suitable for locally designed Agri-PV systems. Such projects, he said, could provide farmers with additional income from solar energy without displacing their existing agricultural earnings.He said Bihar is taking initiatives towards community agrivoltaic models with the active participation of farmers. He added that the Bihar Renewable Energy Policy, 2025 recognises Agri-PV under the special category of “Solar for Agriculture”, and that opportunities under PM-KUSUM 2 could also be explored.Experts said solar panels can be installed at appropriate heights and configurations to permit cultivation underneath. Discussions covered technology choices, crop-panel balance, irrigation systems, project costs, investment needs and financial models. CII Bihar State Council chairperson Gaurav Sah, director horticulture Abhishek Kumar and representatives from different sectors attended the summit.
