Informing a USD 21.8 billion investment for scaling a solar irrigation model in India
In 2017, the Government of India committed USD 21.8 billion to the solarization of farms. The investment was informed by the piloting and evaluation of the Solar Pump Irrigators' Cooperate Enterprise (SPICE) model by IWMI and CCAFS in collaboration with Tata Trust and WLE.
The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy plans to provide 2.75 million solar pumps. Some farms with existing pumps will also get solarized. In addition to providing sustainable energy, the investment will enable farmers to be independent of the grid and creates additional income as farmers can sell surplus energy to local power distribution companies.
Citation
CCAFS. 2021. Informing a USD 21.8 billion investment for scaling a solar irrigation model in India. Wageningen, the Netherlands: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).