- Assam's Chief Minister has announced that tea garden owners may use up to 5% of their land for solar generation
- Assam's targets: about 3,500 MW of solar by 2030 under its solar policy and 6,000 MW of green energy overall
- Tea factories run hard from about March to November, in daylight, which is exactly when solar generates
- Synchronising solar with the estate's diesel generators cuts diesel use when the grid fails
- The Chief Minister inaugurated our 595 kWp Koomber plant on 1 October 2026; Goodricke has recognised our work at Koomber, Borpatra and Harmutty
Why tea estates suit solar so well
- Daytime load. Withering, rolling, fermenting and drying run through the day in the plucking season.
- Diesel back-up. Grid interruptions in rural Assam mean estates run DG sets; every solar unit that replaces diesel saves far more than a grid unit.
- Land. Many estates have strips of non-plantation land near the factory, ideal for ground-mount plants.
- Long horizon. Estates are run for generations, so a 25-year asset fits naturally.
Assam's policy in 2026
In September 2026 the Chief Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, wrote that tea garden owners may use up to 5% of their land for solar generation, as part of the state's goal of 6,000 MW of installed green energy capacity by 2030. The state's solar promotion policy targets about 3,500 MW of solar by 2030, with a push for rooftop plants and agri-voltaics, and caps solar on tea-garden land at 5% of the landholding.
Assam's clean-energy policy for industry has also offered tea, coffee and rubber units buying power from APDCL features such as annual energy banking, so that surplus solar from the lean months can be drawn in the busy season, with grid-connected rooftop plants capped at 1,000 kW per location under that policy.
Designing for the plucking season
| Question | What we look at | Typical answer |
|---|---|---|
| How big? | Factory load in season, off-season load, sanctioned load, transformer capacity | Sized to daytime factory load in season, within net-metering and transformer limits |
| Rooftop or ground? | Factory roof condition and orientation; available non-plantation land | Ground-mount on spare land is common; it avoids old roofs |
| Diesel? | Number and size of DG sets, how often the grid fails | Synchronise solar with the DG sets so solar runs during outages |
| Export? | Off-season and Sunday surplus | Net metering or banking with APDCL |
| Foundations? | Soil, water table, flooding history | Pile foundations sized to the soil test; raised structures in low-lying land |
At Jay Shree Tea's Towkok and Manjushree estates, the scope included synchronising each plant with two DG sets per site, letting the estates run solar alongside their generators instead of shutting it down when the grid fails.
The Koomber inauguration
On 1 October 2026 the Chief Minister of Assam inaugurated the 595 kWp ground-mounted on-grid plant at Koomber Tea Estate in Cachar, part of the 3.11 MW Goodricke Tea Estates Solar Programme with Tata Power Renewable Energy and Sustvest, with Arrays Ingenieria as installation partner.
595 kW solar plant inaugurated at Koomber tea garden
कूम्बर चाय बागान में 595 किलो वाट सौर संयंत्र का उद्घाटन Prerana Bharati's news video on the Chief Minister of Assam inaugurating the 595 kWp ground-mounted, on-grid solar plant at Koomber Tea Garden, installed by Arrays Ingenieria under the 3.11 MW Goodricke Tea Estates Solar Programme. Watch on YouTube Video on Facebook Prerana Bharati on YouTube
Lessons from our tea-estate plants
- Plan around the season. Build in the lean months so the plant is ready before plucking peaks.
- Respect the estate. Work around labour lines, nurseries and drainage; keep the site clean and safe.
- Get the approvals moving early. APDCL feasibility, net metering and inspection take time.
- Engineer for rain. Assam's monsoon demands good drainage, raised equipment pads and proper earthing and lightning protection.
- Hand over properly. Train the estate electrician, leave drawings and test reports, and set a cleaning routine.
| Estate | Capacity | Our role |
|---|---|---|
| Koomber Tea Estate (Goodricke), Cachar | 595 kWp | Installation partner; inaugurated by the CM, 1 Oct 2026 |
| Towkok and Manjushree (Jay Shree Tea), Sonari | 1035 kWp | Supply, installation & commissioning, DG synchronisation |
| Orangajuli Tea Estate (Goodricke), Udalguri | 450 kW | Installation partner; commissioned on Janmashtami 2026 |
| Harmutty Tea Estate (Goodricke), North Lakhimpur | 400 kWp | Installation & commissioning; inaugurated 7 Oct 2026 |
| Borpatra Tea Estate (Goodricke), Sivasagar | 230 kWp | Turnkey implementation, APDCL approvals |
| Rossell India estates | 170 kWp to 493 kWp | Piling, installation & commissioning |
| Amalgamated Plantations estates | About 5 MW across estates | Piling, BOS, installation & commissioning |
Running a tea estate in Assam or the Dooars? Let us look at your factory load and your land.
Get a free solar quoteFrequently asked questions
Can tea gardens in Assam use their land for solar?
Can solar work with a tea estate's diesel generators?
Rooftop or ground-mount for a tea factory?
What size of plant suits a tea estate?
Sources
- Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rewriting Assam's Energy Future, 22 Sep 2026
- Down To Earth: Assam targets 3,500 MW solar surge
- The Statesman: Use of solar power in Assam's tea gardens
- The Sentinel: Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurates 595 kWp solar plant at Koomber Tea Estate
- Hub Network: Assam tea garden gets 450 kWp solar plant
This guide explains public policy in plain language for planning purposes. Rules, rates and deadlines change: confirm the current position with the notifying authority, your DISCOM and your tax adviser before you commit. Last checked 11 Oct 2026.
About the authors. Arrays Ingenieria is an ex-servicemen-led solar EPC and installation & commissioning company working Pan-India, from Assam's tea estates to industrial rooftops. Our story · Our projects
