Scaling-up Solar Irrigation: Lessons from Policies and Programmes

The adoption of solar irrigation has grown in recent years to reduce dependence on increasingly uncertain rainfall, raise agricultural productivity and reduce fossil fuel/electricity use. Policies play a crucial role in accelerating deployment and bridging the affordability gap for farmers. IRENA and World Resources Institute (WRI) jointly organized this webinar to discuss lessons from solar irrigation policies and programmes from different regions and identify actions to scale-up adoption.

IRENA presented findings from its joint report with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Renewable Energy for Agri-food Systems. WRI launched its report on “Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes In India” which analyzes lessons from the implementation of the Government of India’s PM-KUSUM scheme. The webinar convened stakeholders from across regions to share experiences for improved policy and programme design for solar irrigation solutions.