The 2nd International Conference on Agrovoltaics and Sustainability in Farming was inaugurated today at the Anna Auditorium, TNAU, Coimbatore, drawing participation from over 30 national and international institutions and students across 10+ Indian states, with more than 200 abstracts submitted for oral and e-Poster presentations.
The conference is jointly organized by Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute (AEC&RI), TNAU, and the School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, UK, as part of a continued global collaboration in promoting sustainable farming technologies through agrovoltaics.
The Dean of Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Coimbatore, Dr. A. Raviraj, felicitated the dignitaries and participants for making the event a grand success and expressed gratitude to NABARD for their continued support in agrovoltaics research and development. Also he has highlighted the crucial role of collaboration among industries, farmers, and financial institutions in driving the effective implementation and widespread adoption of agrovoltaic systems.
The Presidential Address was delivered by Dr. R. Thamizh Vendan, Acting Vice-Chancellor, TNAU, who emphasized the strategic importance of agrovoltaics in achieving India’s dual goals of food and energy security. He also released the Conference Proceedings during the event.
The Chief Guest, Er. R. Anand, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Chennai, highlighted the urgent need to implement agrovoltaic systems at the farmers’ level. He announced NABARD’s keen interest in piloting such projects across various districts in Tamil Nadu, including Virudhunagar, aligning with their sustainable agriculture mission. He also insisted that the pilot APV projects can be implemented in major watershed areas of Tamil Nadu facilitating both energy and crop production.
Guest of Honour, Dr. Rabibrata Mukherjee, Joint National Coordinator & Joint PI, SPARC, IIT Kharagpur, lauded the efforts of the organizing team and appreciated the professional arrangements made for the conference.
Prof. Nashwan Dawood, Prof. Michael Short, and Prof. Senthilarasu Sundaram from Teesside University, UK, emphasized the importance of global collaboration and interdisciplinary innovation in advancing agrovoltaics. They encouraged young researchers to engage in sustainability dialogues, highlighted the promising future of the field, and underscored the need for cooperative efforts in developing sustainable engineering solutions for agriculture and energy.
Dr. R. Mahendiran, Professor (DREE), AEC&RI, and Indian PI (SPARC), delivered the Welcome Address, outlining the conference objectives and collaborative efforts under the SPARC program. The inaugural ceremony concluded with a formal Vote of Thanks by Dr. D. Ramesh, Professor and Head, Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, AEC&RI, TNAU. This international platform marks a crucial step in fostering innovation, collaboration, and field-level implementation of agrovoltaic technologies for a resilient and sustainable future.