Solarising Nepal’s irrigation canals

Improving access to solar energy can transform irrigation, boosting Nepal’s commercial agriculture.

Nepal has abundant solar energy potential, with an annual capacity of 50,000 terawatt- hours and an average of 300 sunny days per year. The largely untapped solar power in the country has the potential to transform its agriculture system as energy use in agriculture is very low compared to the South Asian average. However, its agricultural expansion is challenged by the country’s low per-capita land availability and fragmented nature of land distribution, which significantly impacts its costs and feasibility. Diesel continues to be a prominent energy source used in the country, especially in the Terai region. Improving access to solar energy can transform irrigation systems, ensuring a consistent water supply, which is the first prerequisite of commercial agriculture. Solar power opens avenues to enhance the agriculture value chain and deepen market penetration by establishing processing and cold storage facilities.