An Examination of Farmer Perceptions, Social Acceptance, and the Disruptive Potential of Agrivoltaics in Northwest India

Agrivoltaics, the innovative combination of solar energy with agriculture, are theorised to provide holistic benefits across the food-energy-water nexus and address rising concerns of land competition within energy transitions. Across various feasibility studies, there are noted potential socioeconomic benefits of agrivoltaics, such as increased dual- income streams for farmers and energy security. However, due to agrivoltaics’ nascency, there is limited research examining community perceptions and lived experiences outside of the Global North. India is an early leader in agrivoltaics installations in Asia; however these sites are predominantly demonstration, research, or pilot sites and no specific policy or regulation has been introduced. Despite India’s semi-arid northwestern states being theorised to provide opportunities for agrivoltaics given appropriate policy, a history of land dispossession and marginalisation from renewable energy development contributes to distrust among farming communities. Further, the small-scale agricultural environment prominent in the sub-continent emphasises a requirement for further technological innovation to adapt agrivoltaics to a new context.

A combination of desk-based and field research speaking with experts, community organisers, and farmers in Delhi, Haryana, and Maharashtra contribute to a greater understanding of the prospects of agrivoltaics in India and potentially other Global South contexts. Employing social acceptance, energy justice, and disruptive innovation perspectives, this thesis will evaluate how agrivoltaics and decentralised solar are framed in national publications in comparison to implementation strategies, the existence of an enabling environment, and future pathways for agrivoltaics scale-out in India. These factors engender greater insight into social acceptance of agrivoltaics in South Asia, as well as illustrating the technology’s potential in small-scale, rural, or non-traditional settings. This thesis advances agrivoltaics scholarship through the examination of stakeholder and farmer perceptions of the technology in India, while also illustrating the importance of flexibility and experimentation to foster just energy transitions among vulnerable populations.