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India Hosts 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference at Bharat Mandapam, a First for the Global South

23 October 2026National

India hosted the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference (AWC) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 21 to 23 October 2026 — the first time a Global South nation has hosted the event. Held under the theme 'Powering the Global South', it was inaugurated by New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and drew more than 1,500 participants from over 40 countries, including about 400 farmers. Agrivoltaics uses the same land for crops and solar generation, supporting food and energy security together. France will host the 2027 edition. The push complements India's Green Energy Corridor Phase-III and pumped-storage expansion.

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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was created in 2006, succeeding the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources set up in 1992 | The PM-KUSUM scheme, launched in 2019, promotes solar pumps and grid-connected solar plants on farmland | The International Solar Alliance, headquartered at Gurugram, was jointly launched by India and France at COP21 in Paris in 2015

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