Smart Shift from Photovoltaic to Agrivoltaic System for Land-Use Footprint

ambient SCIENCEThe fossil fuel sources are highly supportive for boosting a country's economy but have destructive bearings like spatially exhaustive, global warming, atmospheric greenhouse gas pollution, acid rain and ecosystem destroyer.The problems caused by hydrocarbon sources can only be ameliorated by renewable energy sources like solar, aeolian or geothermal, especially solar energy.Solar energy shall be the prime source of energy in future but demands a huge quantum of land for installations.Simultaneous energy generation and underneath selective agriculture adaptation is novice research.This is an innovative venture of energy generation nexus with food production so that the burden of the land requirement is diminished.The agrivoltaic is considered suitable to the areas in the tropics with resilient irradiation and comparatively less productive arable lands for plant cultivation.The system can also harvest rainwater and biomass from the installed solar panels, a source for irrigation to the plants underneath, clean solar panels, and enhance production.The developing country, India ranks 2nd globally in agricultural products.More than 50% of the Indian workforce depends on it and contributed about 20% to the country's GDP.The country's ambition is to implement more agrivoltaic systems in the vast arid lands.Parallel to contemporary energy rates, an agrivoltaic farmer can supply the consumers @5 INR/kWh and sell the agricultural harvest.Overall, the power generation, water accumulated for irrigation, and crop production ratio can be optimized by installing a technoecological agrivoltaic system in the farmers' land.