Greenovation Agrivoltaics Challenge

About this scheme

The Greenovation Agrivoltaics Challenge is an initiative led by EarthON Foundation in collaboration with SwitchON Foundation to advance the adoption and innovation of agrivoltaic systems in India. The challenge seeks to generate practical evidence and demonstrate how agrivoltaic technologies can strengthen climate-resilient agriculture while enabling clean energy generation and diversified farmer incomes.

Agrivoltaics, defined as the co-location of solar panels with crop cultivation, presents an opportunity to improve land productivity, optimize water use, and create additional income streams for farmers through renewable energy. Despite India's significant theoretical potential for agrivoltaics, real-world demonstrations and farmer-led models remain limited. This challenge is designed to bridge that gap by supporting grassroots experimentation and scalable implementation models.

The program invites two categories of participants: farmer-led organizations and decentralized renewable energy (DRE) companies. Selected participants receive financial support of up to Rs. 15 lakhs to establish and demonstrate viable agrivoltaic models. In addition, participants gain access to a larger Rs. 2 crore implementation grant pool for scaling successful pilots. Beyond funding, the challenge provides structured virtual training, technical advisory support for system design and crop optimization, ecosystem networking, and facilitation to set up micro-demonstration systems in priority states.

The initiative follows a phased evaluation process beginning with registration and shortlisting, followed by detailed application review and final selection. The goal is to build a body of practical evidence for scalable agrivoltaic approaches in India, while empowering farmer groups and renewable energy innovators to co-develop affordable, climate-resilient agricultural solutions tailored to small and marginal farmers.

Through this challenge, EarthON and SwitchON aim to catalyze field-tested agrivoltaic innovations that align clean energy expansion with agricultural resilience and rural livelihood enhancement.

Who can apply

• Open to Indian entities under two distinct tracks.
• Eligible entities include Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Cooperatives, Registered Societies, and NGOs working with farmers.
• Team lead must be a practicing farmer.
• Must propose plans for growing crops under solar structures.
• Must demonstrate innovation in cropping patterns or business models.
• For-profit or non-profit companies working in decentralized renewable energy.
• Must demonstrate technical capacity for small-scale agrivoltaic systems.
• Should propose innovations in system design and energy-use models.
• Must focus on affordability and financing models for small and marginal farmers.
• Applicants must be willing to establish micro-demonstration sites.
• Must participate in training, technical support, and evidence-generation activities.
• No specific incorporation age or revenue threshold explicitly stated.

Eligible entity types: Private Limited, Section 8 / NGO

Frequently asked questions