Delhi's Farmers May Now Boost Income By 'Cultivating' Solar Plants Without Land-Use Change

The farmers in the national capital can earn “double income” with dual-use land productivity while converting their farmland into solar plants with elevated systems without any change in land use.

Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday announced the simplification of procedures for installing solar plants on agricultural land, breaking decades of red tape.

In a statement, the government said that the department has officially clarified that installing elevated solar systems does not violate the Delhi Land Reforms Act, 1954, effectively removing the requirement for “Change in Land Use” (CLU) for green energy projects.

Terming it as a landmark move to accelerate Delhi’s journey toward becoming India’s solar capital, the minister said every

farm in Delhi should not just grow crops but also produce the clean energy that powers the city’s future.

“For years, Delhi’s solar ambitions were restricted by complex land regulations… under the new directive, farmers can now earn double income harvesting the sun above while continuing traditional cultivation below,” the statement added.

The government said that the Revenue Department will now accept a simple standardised undertaking from landholders, bypassing months of red tape. Agricultural activities can continue strictly underneath elevated solar structures, ensuring that food security is never compromised for energy security, the government added.

In addition, these measures will help the city align with the national goals of a Net Zero future and the national push for renewable energy. In turn, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Group Net Metering and Virtual Net Metering for Renewable Energy regulations will allow farmers to monetise power injected into the grid.

“For too long, Delhi’s energy potential was trapped in a years-old legislative maze. While the rest of the world moved toward decentralised energy, our farmers were stuck waiting for permits that never came…Today, we are ending the era of ‘No Objection’ hurdles… Delhi cannot afford to be a laggard when India is racing toward global renewable targets,” Sood added.

He said the vision is not to see Delhi as “just another city” in the solar race but to set the benchmark that other global metropolises follow.

The Power Minister informed that by collaborating with the DDA, Law Department, and Revenue Department, the current administration has cleared the legal path in record time to ensure Delhi stays ahead.

This reform is a cornerstone of the broader strategy to transform Delhi into a “solar hub”. By making solar accessible to the last mile—the farmers—the government is proving that energy equity is the foundation of social equity, the statement added.