--- title: Solar for Assam Tea Estates: 2026 Guide | Arrays Ingenieria description: Why Assam's tea estates are going solar: the 2026 policy, the 5% land rule, DG synchronisation, APDCL approvals and lessons from our tea plants. url: https://arraysingenieria.com/solar-for-assam-tea-estates-guide/ last_updated: 2026-10-11 source: Arrays Ingenieria (Arrays Ingenieria Pvt. Ltd.) --- Guide · Tea Estates # Solar for Assam's Tea Estates: Policy, Design and Lessons from Our Plants Tea estates are among the best solar sites in India: daytime factory load, diesel back-up to cut and land to spare. Assam's policy, how to design for the plucking season, and what we have learnt building plants from Koomber to Harmutty. On this page - Why tea estates suit solar so well - Assam's policy in 2026 - Designing for the plucking season - The Koomber inauguration - Lessons from our tea-estate plants - Frequently asked questions - Sources By the [Arrays Ingenieria engineering team](https://arraysingenieria.com/about/) · Updated 11 Oct 2026 · 3 min read **Key takeaways** - 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. **5%**Of tea-garden land allowed for solar **3,500 MW**Assam solar target by 2030 **6,000 MW**Assam green-energy goal, 2030 **595 kWp**Koomber, inaugurated by the CM ## 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. **Check the current notification** Several Assam policies and orders apply, and their names and terms have changed over time. Confirm the current banking, capacity and approval rules with APDCL and the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission before fixing a design. ## Designing for the plucking season Design choices for a tea-estate plant | 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. PB: **Prerana Bharati Digital (PBNN)**Silchar, Assam · on YouTube ### 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. October 2026[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYA1zfqmqlU) [Video on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1502310741932902&id=100064619714592)[Prerana Bharati on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@preranabhartidigital) The Arrays Ingenieria team takes the Chief Minister around the Koomber plant after the inauguration. ## 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. Some of our tea-estate plants in Assam | 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 quote](https://arraysingenieria.com/free-solar-quote/) ## Frequently asked questions Can tea gardens in Assam use their land for solar? Yes. The Chief Minister has announced that tea garden owners may use up to 5% of their land for solar generation, and the state's solar policy caps solar on tea-garden land at 5% of the landholding. Can solar work with a tea estate's diesel generators? Yes. With a DG synchronisation controller the solar plant keeps running during grid outages alongside the generators, cutting diesel use. Rooftop or ground-mount for a tea factory? Ground-mount on spare non-plantation land is often better: it avoids old factory roofs and can be sized to the load. Rooftop works where the roof is sound and well oriented. What size of plant suits a tea estate? Most estates we work with install between about 200 kWp and 600 kWp, sized to the factory's daytime load in the plucking season and to grid limits. ## Sources - [Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rewriting Assam's Energy Future, 22 Sep 2026](https://himantabiswa.substack.com/p/rewriting-assams-energy-future) - [Down To Earth: Assam targets 3,500 MW solar surge](https://www.downtoearth.org.in/renewable-energy/assam-targets-3500-mw-solar-surge-with-strong-push-for-rooftop-and-agri-voltaics) - [The Statesman: Use of solar power in Assam's tea gardens](https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/north/use-of-solar-power-in-assams-tea-gardens-1503403895.html) - [The Sentinel: Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurates 595 kWp solar plant at Koomber Tea Estate](https://www.sentinelassam.com/breakingnews/assam-himanta-biswa-sarma-inaugurates-595-kwp-solar-plant-at-koomber-tea-estate) - [Hub Network: Assam tea garden gets 450 kWp solar plant](https://hubnetwork.in/assam-tea-garden-gets-450-kwp-solar-plant-as-clean-energy-push-gathers-pace/) 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](https://arraysingenieria.com/ex-servicemen-led-msme/) · [Our projects](https://arraysingenieria.com/projects/) [Solar for Tea Estates](https://arraysingenieria.com/solar-for-tea-estates/)[Ground-Mount Solar](https://arraysingenieria.com/service-ground-mount/)[Installation & Commissioning](https://arraysingenieria.com/solar-installation-commissioning/) From Our Sites ## Case Studies on This Topic Real plants our veteran-led crews have built, with the scope of work in detail. [Tea Estate · Inaugurated by the CM: **Koomber Tea Estate: 595 kWp Solar Plant, Inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Assam**595 kWp · Koomber Tea Garden, Silchar, Cachar district (Barak Valley), AssamRead the case study](https://arraysingenieria.com/project-koomber-tea-estate-595kwp-solar-cm-inauguration/)[Tea Estate · Ground-Mount: **Jay Shree Tea: 1 MW Solar at Towkok & Manjushree Tea Estates**1035 kWp (535 + 500 kWp) · Sonari, Charaideo district, AssamRead the case study](https://arraysingenieria.com/project-jayshree-tea-1mw-solar-assam/)[Tea Estate · Ground-Mount I&C: **Harmutty Tea Estate: 400 kWp Ground-Mounted Solar Plant**400 kWp · Harmutty, Laluk, North Lakhimpur district, Assam 784160Read the case study](https://arraysingenieria.com/project-harmutty-tea-estate-400kwp-solar/) Keep Reading ## Related Guides [Business Models: **CAPEX vs OPEX (RESCO) Solar: Which Model Suits Your Business?**Own your solar plant and keep every unit, or pay a developer per unit with no upfront cost? 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