Urban farming with ‘agrivoltaics’

A former corporate professional is growing microgreens while harvesting solar energy on a 250 sq ft section of his home terrace in Bukkasagara in Bengaluru Urban district. This dual use of space — installing solar panels above crops or livestock areas — is known as agrivoltaics.

Last week, Pritam Kumar Sinha harvested his first batch of microgreens (over 10 varieties) grown in his agrivoltaics setup. The installation uses eight bifacial solar panels, though he currently draws electricity from five units to meet household needs. These generate about 20 units of electricity a day.

The panels are mounted on metal poles above grow bags to form a hut-like canopy. The structure reduces evaporation by providing shade, while its elevated design allows sunlight to reach plants from three sides, with one side blocked by a wall. Sinha says the model would suit crops that do not require direct sunlight, such as horticulture and floriculture, as well as cash crops like capsicum grown in polyhouses. He believes it can also be adapted for sericulture, which involves cultivating mulberry plants.

For Sinha, the pilot demonstrates how food security, energy needs and water conservation can be integrated within a single structure. It also incorporates waste management, as he produces and uses his own biofertilisers. “Can we not think of a government scheme for small farmers that brings together existing subsidies for horticulture, floriculture and solar energy under a single-window clearance?” he asks.

Although agrivoltaics dates back to the 1980s, its adoption has increased in recent years. China’s large-scale use of the practice to balance food and energy security inspired Sinha to try it. 

His research began as an effort to create cost-effective, sustainable home gardens to address nutritional gaps. A former Indian Administrative Fellow with the Karnataka government, he has worked on projects related to family welfare and malnutrition eradication. And living in Bukkasagara village, where municipal amenities are “inadequate”, pushed him to explore alternative energy sources. For over 11 years, Sinha has been prototyping low-cost solar solutions, drawing on his background in industrial electronics and IT support. “In September 2024, my electricity bill was Rs 5,500. Last month, it was Rs 500. The system powers our TV, refrigerator, fans and lights,” he says. His DIY agrivoltaics setup cost about Rs 1.5 lakh, which he says is roughly a third of market prices. Now he wants to train citizens to build agrivoltaics tailored to their space and budget. “On Friday, officials from the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute, along with gardening enthusiasts, are visiting my setup,” he says.

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