Transitioning to a volumetric tariff system to make solar irrigation pumps financially viable

MinErgy uses SoLAR Innovation Fund to build community distribution tanks as a step towards a volumetric tariff system and equitable water distribution for community-governed solar irrigation projects.   Solar irrigation has been gaining popularity in Nepal thanks to the government’s subsidies for individually-owned solar irrigation pumps (SIPs). But the economic…

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Grid-connection pilots for IDCOL’s Solar Irrigation program in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s farmers depend on irrigation powered by imported diesel. With the rising cost of fossil fuel, the diesel-powered irrigation system is becoming increasingly unaffordable. According to Bangladesh’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the country is committed to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 5% (un-conditionally) by 2030. Bangladesh lacks natural resources…

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IDCOL in Bangladesh: A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model for Decarbonizing Irrigation through Solar

Diesel-based groundwater irrigation has been crucial for Bangladesh’s Boro rice cultivation and subsequent food security. As of 2019, boro accounted for more than half of Bangladesh’s food grain production. However, Bangladesh imports much of its diesel. As a result, it spends roughly $3.2 billion annually on import bills, which puts a…

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Solar Irrigation for the “Last Mile”

Kalinga Renewable Energy Manufacturers Pvt. Limited (KARMA), a start-up from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, innovates in mobile solar irrigation pumps for small and fragmented landholdings in rural Bihar and Odisha. Due to poor irrigation infrastructure and a lack of reliable electricity grids in rural Bihar, farmers depend…

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Solar Irrigation in South Asia: Emerging evidence of impacts on mitigation, adaptation, equity and groundwater

Alleviating poverty with minimal carbon emission is at the heart of climate-resilient development. This need is particularly acute in South Asia, where the continuing expansion of irrigation holds the promise of pulling smallholders out of poverty but will also result in significant increases in carbon emissions due to overwhelming dependence…

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