A solar irrigation program providing a 60 percent subsidy on solar equipment has been running since 2016, the same year that saw the launch of Nepal’s Renewable Energy Subsidy Policy. In recent years, farmers’ demand for solar irrigation in Nepal has been extremely high. For example, during the 2019/2020 fiscal year, the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) — the government agency for renewable energy — received 13,000 applications for SIPs. However, the AEPC can meet just four percent of the total SIP demand from farmers. As of 2020, roughly 1,400 SIPs are installed in the country, mostly in Terai region.
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