Explore the vast range of titles available.

Global fossil fuel reserves are declining due to differential uses, especially for power generation. Everybody can help to do their bit for the environment by using solar energy. Geographically, Bangladesh is a potential zone for harnessing solar energy. In March 2021, the renewable generation capacity in Bangladesh amounted to 722.592 MW, including 67.6% from solar, 31.84% from hydro, and 0.55% from other energy sources, including wind, biogas, and biomass, where 488.662 MW of power originated from over 6 million installed solar power systems. Concurrently, over 42% of rural people still suffer from a lack of electricity, where solar energy can play a vital role. This paper highlights the present status of various forms of solar energy progress in Bangladesh, such as solar parks, solar rooftops, solar irrigation, solar charging stations, solar home systems, solar-powered telecoms, solar street lights, and solar drinking water, which can be viable alternative sources of energy. This review will help decision-makers and investors realize Bangladesh’s up-to-date solar energy scenario and plan better for the development of a sustainable society.

Irrigation energy use is a significant component of agricultural production costs, contributing directly to the energy and emissions intensity of crop production and ultimately to food prices. Understanding the existing structure of irrigation energy consumption help achieve food‐energy‐water security and environmental goals. We present a comprehensive global data set detailing country‐level irrigation energy consumption, emphasizing the comparative use of electric, diesel, and emerging solar pumps. To our knowledge, no such data set exists. We draw from a literature review to develop a logistic transformed regression model to estimate the shares of fuel sources for irrigation across countries over historical years to construct a global data set of country‐level irrigation energy consumption by multiple fuel sources. Additionally, we compare our estimates of irrigation energy use with agricultural energy use as reported by the International Energy Agency and other external sources. We then use this data to project future irrigation energy use with the Global Change Analysis Model, which is a multisector dynamics model, to showcase the usage of this data set. Projections under the reference scenario show a global shift in fuel types for irrigation pumping, while patterns vary across regions, with India and Pakistan leading in solar‐powered irrigation growth and countries like the USA and China continuing to rely primarily on grid electricity. This data set provides a resource to understand the role of irrigation fuel choices within the broader energy sector, as well as the connected agricultural, land use, and water sectors under alternative future scenarios, enabling informed decision making toward efficient agricultural practices. Plain Language Summary Irrigation uses energy, which affects farming costs, emissions, and ultimately food prices. To better understand this connection, we developed a new global data set showing how much energy each country uses for irrigation, and what types of fuels—electricity, diesel, or solar—are used to power irrigation pumps. Since no such global data set previously existed, we built one by combining information from published studies and using statistical modeling to estimate how fuel use for irrigation has changed over time historically. We then used the Global Change Analysis Model to explore how irrigation energy use might evolve in the future. Our projections show that fuel use for irrigation is changing worldwide. For example, India and Pakistan are quickly adopting solar‐powered pumps, while countries such as the United States and China continue to depend mostly on electricity from the grid. This data set provides a useful resource for analyzing the role of irrigation fuel choices within the broader energy and agricultural systems. It can support planning for more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices. Key Points A global data set is developed to characterize country‐level irrigation energy use patterns across electric, diesel, and solar pumps This data set enables diverse applications, with projections using the Global Change Analysis Model demonstrating a usage case This data set provides a useful resource to understand irrigation energy choices and cross‐sector implications for sustainable agriculture

Irrespective of water resource abundance, agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is predominantly rainfed. Along with fertilization, irrigation could support smallholder farmers with stabilizing crop yields, increasing incomes, and achieving food security. A key barrier to irrigation uptake is inadequate rural electricity supply for pumping and distributing water, besides other infrastructure deficits. Here we devise a spatially explicit integrated modelling framework to show that over one third of unmet crop water requirements of 19 major crops in smallholder cropland of SSA could be supplied with standalone solar photovoltaic (PV) irrigation systems that can be paid back by farmers within 20 years. This accounts for 60 km3 yr−1 of blue irrigation water requirements distributed over 55 million ha of currently rainfed harvested area (about 40% of the total). Crucially, we identify 10 million ha with a profit potential >$100 ha−1 yr−1. To finance such distributed small-scale infrastructure deployment and operation, we estimate an average discounted investment requirement of $3 billion yr−1, generating potential profits of over $5 billion yr−1 from increased yields to the smallholder farmers, as well as significant food security and energy access co-benefits. We demonstrate the critical importance of business models and investment incentives, crop prices, and PV & battery costs in shaping the economic feasibility and profitability of solar irrigation. Yet, we find that without strong land and water resources management infrastructure and governance, a widespread deployment of solar pumps may drive an unsustainable exploitation of water sources and reduce environmental flows. Our analysis supports public and private stakeholders seeking to target investments along the water–energy–food–economy–sustainable development nexus.

Solar powered irrigation pumps (SIP) hold substantial potential for low carbon irrigation expansion, particularly where affordable electricity is limited. In contrast to diesel-based irrigation, which carries steep fuel costs, irrigation by SIP requires zero marginal costs, but high initial investments. This makes their competitiveness with diesel pumps highly dependent on the temporal frequency of their usage. Using unique and detailed data on SIP usage by smallholders in Nepal, we show SIP usage frequency is low, making it financially competitive with diesel for only a small fraction of farmers. We analyze characteristics of farmers who make low/high usage of the SIP, and explore potential explanations for the puzzling low level of SIP use.

Insufficient rainfall in the dry season and scarcity of surface water has resulted in firms’ reliance on groundwater for agriculture in the northern part of Bangladesh. Most irrigation systems in the country are diesel or electric, which raises the cost and demand for energy and pollutes the environment. Utilizing the abundant sunshine and disseminating solar-based irrigation systems is expected to be a fittingly rewarding experience for irrigation purposes. Therefore, this study identifies the factors influencing the adoption of solar irrigation facilities (SIFs) and the impacts of their adoption on irrigation cost, return on investment (ROI), and production costs, using survey data collected from 405 rice farmers of Dinajpur district. The study employed three treatment effect estimators, namely inverse probability weighting (IPW), regression adjustment (RA), and inverse probability weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA), to address the potential selection bias issue. The results revealed that farming experience, knowledge, environmental awareness, soil fertility, and irrigation machinery ownership significantly influenced adoption decisions. The treatment effect model result indicated that farmers who adopted this method could minimize irrigation costs by 1.88 to 2.22%, obtain 4.48 to 8.16% higher ROI, and reduce total production cost by 0.06 to 0.98% compared to non-adopters. Our findings suggested that policy interventions targeting scaling up SIFs should consider focusing on government and stakeholders’ greater attention on designing more appropriate schemes through experimentation and multiple iterations.

In recent years, use of solar-powered irrigation pumps (SIPs) has increased significantly in the agricultural plains ( terai ) of Nepal. Federal and local governments there have subsidized the pumps in an effort to expand irrigated agriculture using renewable energy. We use data from a cross-sectional survey of 656 farming households in the terai to examine how SIPs affect fossil fuel use and groundwater extraction. We find that most SIP users continued to use their fossil-fuel pumps, as very few completely replaced them with solar pumps. Farmers who received SIPs operated their irrigation pumps more hours than those who did not receive SIPs. Taken together, these findings suggest that groundwater use has increased, as SIP recipients ‘stack’ their pumps. We also find that solar pumps were more likely to be owned by richer households and those with better social networks than those who were poorer and had relative social disadvantage. As Nepal expands the use of solar pumps in agriculture, policy efforts may benefit from managing expectations about the carbon-mitigation potential of this technology, managing groundwater risks as SIP use expands, and making SIPs more inclusive.

Solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) are central to Nepal’s strategy for sustainable irrigation and reducing reliance on diesel pumps. The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) officially provides a 60% subsidy for SIPs under a demand-driven program. This study assesses (i) SIP subsidy delivery and adoption processes, and (ii) utilization patterns and their drivers, using a household survey of 630 farmers and a phone survey of 404 SIP owners. In practice, farmers contributed only 4% of total SIP costs on average, as local governments frequently topped up AEPC’s subsidy, making SIPs nearly free. While this boosted affordability, the scheme is only weakly progressive: large farmers also benefit from near-complete subsidization, raising equity and fiscal concerns. The applicant pool is dominated by educated, wealthier, and socially advantaged groups, while marginalized farmers are often excluded due to weak information and institutional gatekeeping. Utilization is moderate, with SIPs operating around 745 h annually—well below their technical potential. Breakdowns, long repair delays (averaging 110 d), and missing after-sales services reduce use. Training in operation and maintenance increases utilization by 38%, while cultivation of water-intensive crops also drives higher use. Transparent communication of the full subsidy package, progressive cost-sharing to prioritize smallholders, and stronger investment in training and rapid-repair services are essential. Without such reforms, the program risks under-utilization and elite capture of subsidies, undermining SIPs’ transformative potential for agricultural resilience and low-carbon growth.

This study assessed the feasibility of performing a technical and economic analysis of solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS), electric-powered irrigation systems (EPIS), and diesel-powered irrigation systems (DPIS) for irrigating crops in different locations in Bangladesh. Twenty-two samples (twelve for the SPIS, two for the SPIS with household electrical-grid supply, four for the EPIS, and four for the DPIS) were randomly selected to assess and compare the performance of the different irrigation systems. The capacity of the solar panel varied from 4.2 to 14 kW. The study also identified the constraints of using a SPIS. Compared with SPIS and DPIS, the gross margin of various crops was greater for EPIS. On the other hand, a lower gross margin from the DPIS was obtained because there was less gross irrigated area for the production of crops. Among the case studies, the benefit-cost ratios (BCR) were 0.10 and 0.05 for SPIS and SPIS with household electrical-grid supply systems, respectively, whereas the internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV) were negative, which indicates that these irrigation systems were not economically profitable at this time. The power sources of DPIS were not found to be profitable. The DPIS induces equivalent CO 2 emissions of approximately 6% of the total agricultural land, which the SPIS can substitute. The BCR, IRR, and NPV were approximately 1.39, 44%, and USD 2369, and NPV were approximately 1.39, 44%, and USD2369 in EPIS compared with other power sources. This indicates that an EPIS with a centrifugal pump is economically viable and profitable compared with solar and diesel-powered irrigation systems for the sustainability of crop production in the current era of a changing climate.

Irrigation is widely recognized as a promising strategy for enhancing agricultural productivity in Sub‐Saharan Africa. To support its expansion, solar‐powered irrigation systems are increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative. However, unlike fossil fuel‐based systems, the performance of solar irrigation is more sensitive to climate variability and change. This study assesses the impact of climate change on the cost and cost efficiency of stand‐alone solar irrigation systems across Sub‐Saharan Africa, using 15 CMIP6 climate scenarios. Our findings indicate that climate change is likely to increase investment costs and reduce the cost efficiency of solar irrigation systems compared to diesel‐powered alternatives in most countries and agricultural areas of the region. Nevertheless, the expected decline in cost performance of solar irrigation systems is moderate and is likely to be offset by continued reductions in solar panel prices. Plain Language Summary Irrigation is an important means of improving agricultural production in Sub‐Saharan Africa, and its expansion could lead to widespread energy demand for water pumping. In recent years, there has been growing interest in transitioning from conventional diesel‐powered irrigation systems to solar‐powered alternatives. Unlike diesel systems, solar irrigation is more sensitive to weather conditions, which raises concerns about its cost and cost efficiency under climate change. This study evaluates how climate change affects the cost and cost efficiency of stand‐alone solar irrigation systems throughout the region. The findings suggest that investment costs for solar irrigation are expected to rise, while its cost efficiency relative to diesel‐powered systems will decline. Nevertheless, this reduction in performance is moderate and is likely to be mitigated by the continued decline in solar panel prices. Key Points We assessed the impact of climate change on the cost and cost efficiency of stand‐alone solar irrigation systems in Sub‐Saharan Africa Climate change will increase the cost and reduce the cost efficiency of solar irrigation systems compared to diesel irrigation systems The decline in the cost‐effectiveness of solar irrigation is moderate and may be offset by decreasing costs of solar energy

Pakistan faces water scarcity and high operational costs for traditional irrigation systems, hindering agricultural productivity. Solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) can potentially provide a sustainable and affordable solution, but face technical, financial and policy barriers to adoption. A comprehensive study is needed to examine feasibility and identify barriers. Therefore, a comprehensive review study is conducted to identify the potential for solar irrigation, key issues and challenges related to its implementation in Pakistan. The analysis is based on published studies, technical reports and a survey of solar-powered drip irrigation systems. The use of SPIS in Pakistan is becoming a cost-effective and sustainable option for irrigation, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. However, these systems also have their challenges, such as high initial costs, maintenance and repairs, limited access to spare parts, lack of government policies and regulations, lack of technical expertise, lack of financing options and social acceptance. The most pressing issue is the risk of groundwater exploitation by using SPIS. Based on the analysis of the energy and water situation in Pakistan, it is important to sustainably use both solar energy and groundwater resources, through the implementation of effective management strategies and policies. With the right policies and investment in research and development of SPIS and groundwater, farmers can benefit by increasing crop yields, conserving water resources, reducing the cost of energy, increasing productivity and improving the standard of living and access to electricity in remote and off-grid areas. It is recommended that the adoption of solar energy be promoted to run high efficiency irrigation systems (HEIS) with urgent capacity improvement among farmers, advisors and system installers to sustainably manage water resources in SPIS. This would not only help to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and associated environmental impacts, but also increase farmers’ income and reduce their operational costs. Moreover, the use of SPIS can improve crop yields, leading to food security and poverty reduction. Thus, the government and policymakers should consider implementing policies and incentives to encourage the large-scale adoption of solar energy in the agricultural sector.