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Advancements in solar technologies for sustainable development of agricultural sector in India: a comprehensive review on challenges and opportunities

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A Correction to this article was published on 26 April 2022

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Abstract

Agriculture is the main occupation of the majority of people in India. The majority of the population in India is dependent (directly or indirectly) on agriculture as an occupation. The agriculture sector requires more freshwater and power for better yield in the current scenario. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing rate of energy consumption, limited fossil fuels, and rising pollution have made the expansion of renewable resources essential. Due to the suitable solar potential available in India, the deployment of solar energy has been more as compared to other renewable resources. The current study aims to discuss the various technologies, initiatives and policies of solar energy usage in agriculture. This work delivers an assessment of the advancement of solar energy vis-à-vis agricultural applications through the greenhouse concept and photovoltaic approach in India. Various agricultural applications of solar energy, such as solar water desalination system, solar water pumping system, solar crop dryer system for food safety, etc. are discussed as a means to promote solar-based technology. It also highlights the scenario of solar energy in India with important accomplishments, developmental approaches, and future potential. In-depth studies of various policies and government initiatives including those in research and development are also discussed. The current survey on solar technologies will be an aid to agribusiness frameworks to comprehend the statuses, obstructions, and extent of advancement. Finally, some future recommendations for further developments in this approach are discussed. This work sheds light on varied areas of solar energy-assisted agricultural systems as a potentially sustainable and eco-friendly pathway.

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Funding

V. S. Sikarwar is grateful for the funding support by Czech Specific University Research (Grant #A1_FTOP_2022_001).

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Contributions

Amit Kumar Thakur: conceptualization, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing, investigation. Rajesh Singh: formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Anita Gehlot: formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Ajay Kumar Kaviti: conceptualization, formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. J Ronald Aseer: conceptualization, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Subbarama Kousik Suraparaju: formal analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. Sendhil Kumar Natarajan: conceptualization, writing—review and editing, supervision. Vineet Singh Sikarwar: conceptualization, writing—review and editing, funding acquisition, supervision.

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Correspondence to Vineet Singh Sikarwar.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Highlights

• Examined the deployment of solar energy in Indian agricultural systems.

• Evaluated the progress of solar energy vis-à-vis horticultural application through the greenhouse concept.

• Assessed solar energy potential in India w.r.t. accomplishments, developmental approaches and future potential.

• Discussed various policies and government initiatives to promote the deployment of solar energy.

The original online version of this article was revised: There is an added letter “d” in the family name of the 6th and 7th Author.

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Thakur, A.K., Singh, R., Gehlot, A. et al. Advancements in solar technologies for sustainable development of agricultural sector in India: a comprehensive review on challenges and opportunities. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 43607–43634 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20133-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20133-0

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