Is Bangladesh the first South Asian country to produce crops under solar-power plants?
On February 15, Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Electricity, Energy, and Mineral Resources, took to his verified Facebook page to announce a significant milestone in the country’s renewable energy sector. He stated that a commercial solar power plant in Bangladesh had successfully initiated agricultural production, marking a first in South Asia. However, Dismislab has verified that agricultural production had already begun in commercial solar power facilities in India prior to Bangladesh’s announcement.
The excerpt from the state minister’s Facebook post highlighted Bangladesh’s achievement, stating, “Bangladesh is the first in South Asia to successfully start agricultural production under commercial solar power plants. Last November, I reported about the growing of pumpkin seedlings from pumpkin seeds under the Sirajganj 7.6 MW grid-connected power plant of Northwest Power Generation Company. Now I am happy to report that there are pumpkins in it.”
Northwest Power Generation Company Limited’s 7.6-megawatt solar power project in Sirajganj began commercial operation on March 30, 2021. An engineer and officer in charge of the project verified that the agricultural production project started one year after the power production on October 6, 2022.Following the state minister’s post, several mainstream media outlets in Bangladesh (1, 2, 3, 4) published similar claims.
The Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources also shared the information on its official Facebook page. However, further investigation reveals evidence of prior instances of solar-powered agricultural production in India.
A brief 12-second YouTube video from DeshGujaratHD titled “Farm-based Solar Power Generating Pilot Project Launched in Gujarat” showcases images of agricultural productivity under solar power panels.
The video features a Gujarati nameplate belonging to the Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL). This solar power project was inaugurated in Vastan village, Surat division, Gujarat state, in 2016.
Additionally, in 2021, the National Solar Energy Federation of India and the Indo-German Energy Forum released a report on farming in solar power plants as part of a joint project. The report includes details of GIPCL’s Vastan Power Plant and depicts images of harvesting activities. Another project by GIPCL, the Amrol Distributive Solar Power Plant, is also mentioned in the report, highlighting experimental cultivation of 40 crop varieties, including soybeans, wheat, and mustard.
It is clear that at least two solar power plants in India had begun agricultural production before 2021, whereas the first pumpkin seedlings were planted in Sirajganj, Bangladesh, in 2022. The coexistence of solar power generation and agriculture, commonly referred to as agrivoltaics, has gained recognition worldwide.
In India, a report titled “Agrivoltaics in India,” published in 2021, reveals the existence of at least 16 agrivoltaic projects in the country. However, Bangladesh is also actively pursuing the implementation of agricultural production in solar power plants.
PV Magazine reported that the government signed an agreement with Saudi Agro Solar PV Power Plant in 2021 to establish a 3.77 MW Agro Voltaic Solar Power Plant.
