Posted on June, 29 2023

29 June 2023: WWF Nepal has supported the installation of Solar Irrigation Plant (SIP) in Khairenibesi village of Pyutar in Bagmati Rural Municipality- 04, Lalitpur District. Through “Multi-Actor Partnerships (MAPs) for Implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with 100% Renewable Energy (RE) for All in the Global South” or “MAPs for 100% RE project”, the SIP that could lift water from the nearby Bagmati river and distribute in the agricultural fields has been installed in Pyutar. Pyutar is among the 3 project sites under the project interventions to have installed Renewable Energy (RE) technology to support water accessibility.  MAPs for 100% RE project is a three-year project commencing from 2020, funded by Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany) with WWF, World Future Council and Brot für die Welt being joint implementing partners and WWF Nepal and Prakriti Resource Centre (PRC) as local partners for Nepal. Minergy Pvt. Ltd is the implementor of the project intervention in Pyutar. 

The SIP in Pyutar fulfills the water demand of 112,000 Liters per Day, with a year-round access to irrigation water around 300 ropanis of land area. 54 households are directly benefited from this plant. The irrigation plant comprises the renewable energy technology of 14.4 kW Solar Panel with 32 modules (capacity = 450 W), 15 kW submersible water pump controller, and a 12.5 Hp solar pump set.   

The SIP in Pyutar is one of a kind, with the plant’s connectivity to the national grid through net-metering, allowing the plant to export surplus energy back to national grid. Through net-metering, the users will also be able to earn NRs. 5.94 per unit electricity supplied or generated which amounts to NPR. 153,964.8 annually. A real time GSM based monitoring system has also been installed to access and monitor activity and performance of the plant. 
The project intervention supports Nepal’s national goal of poverty reduction through improving irrigated agriculture productivity and management of selected irrigation schemes and enhancing institutional capacity for integrated water resources management. The solar irrigation plant in Pyutar now serves as a demonstration of an innovative approach to policy makers and relevant stakeholders.