Transcending Technocentric Approaches and Enhancing Productive Use of Solar-Powered Irrigation System: Case Study From Kuleni Village of Nepal

By promoting solar-powered irrigation (SPI), governments around the world are aiming to make agriculture more sustainable, reduce carbon emissions, adapt to climate change, and foster rural development. Toward that aim, much of the effort to date has been put into improving access to solar technologies through innovation in technical infrastructure and financial investments. Despite these goals, there is no concurrent investment in the optimization of energy use generated through these SPI; promoters of SPI do not know the value that farmers can potentially generate if SPI is directed to productive usage—irrigation and otherwise. Our study conducted in one of the most in-demand solar irrigation sites in Nepal’s southern plains reveals that a significant amount of energy generated from SPI is not utilized and is “spilled/wasted.” The conventional emphasis given to the technocentric approach that Nepal’s solar energy promoters currently deploy needs to be refocused in favor of prioritizing policies to allow farmers to optimize the use of energy generated through these SPI systems and avoid “spill/waste.” This shift demands a new set of innovative approaches that are both technological and social in thinking so that the energy that is currently being spilled/wasted can be utilized for more productive end uses. Market-based solutions such as farmers selling “excess” electricity back to the grid through the arrangement of net metering and the introduction of an agricultural value chain can potentially expand opportunities for farmers to improve their livelihoods and generate jobs locally.