Farmer solar irrigation cooperatives
Farmers run grid-connected solar pumps together and sell surplus power to the utility, turning sunshine into a cash crop that rewards saving water.
Start small
Gather 6 to 10 neighbouring pump owners for one evening (no cost) to list pump sizes, fuel or power bills and grid distance. Within 1 to 3 months, meet the local distribution company and an agency such as IWMI's SoLAR programme or the state renewable energy agency to check feed-in tariffs and subsidies (PM-KUSUM in India), and register a cooperative. A 56 kWp shared system like Dhundi's needed outside capital plus a small contribution from each farmer.
The problem
Limited access to renewable energy in local communities: smallholders stuck with diesel pumps or heavily subsidised grid power that drives groundwater over-pumping and gives them no energy income.
Where it fits
Has worked in Gujarat, India, where farmers already irrigate from tube wells, there is a grid line and a willing distribution company, a long-term power purchase agreement (25 years at Dhundi), and outside capital (IWMI and CGIAR funded most of Dhundi; state and central subsidies under SKY). Needs a feed-in price high enough that selling power beats over-pumping, metering per member, and a trusted group to share infrastructure.
The principle underneath
If every unit of energy not used for pumping can be sold, the pump owner has a direct reason to save water. Pooling panels and one grid connection spreads fixed costs and gives smallholders a bankable, long-term income stream.
Who to call
IWMI Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience (SoLAR) programme and IWMI-Tata Water Policy Program; Dhundi Saur Urja Utpadak Sahakari Mandali (Kheda, Gujarat); Madhya Gujarat Vij Company (MGVCL); IDCOL (Bangladesh); state nodal agencies under PM-KUSUM.
Watch out for
Feed-in tariff too low compared with subsidised farm power; grid losses or outages that cut earnings; long contracts that lock members out of grid farm connections; oversized off-grid panels idle off-season; free daytime power encouraging more pumping; heavy dependence on donor capital; utility payment delays eroding trust.
Where it comes from
The first grid-connected solar pump cooperative formed in Dhundi village, Gujarat, in 2015/16 with IWMI and the CGIAR climate programme (CCAFS). It inspired Gujarat's SKY scheme (2018) and the grid-connected part of India's PM-KUSUM. Open knowledge with published evaluations; no custodial protocols.
Where it's worked
Dhundi village, Kheda district, Gujarat, India · 2016 to 2019
Founding farmers shared 56.4 kWp of solar under 25-year power purchase agreements with MGVCL, replaced diesel pumps, and received their first payment for 5,097 units sold in 80 days.
DocumentedSource
Dhundi village, Gujarat (follow-up) · 2016 to January 2019
Membership grew, irrigation became free for members, the village's diesel generators were displaced, and the model inspired Gujarat's SKY and India's KUSUM schemes.
DocumentedSource
Gujarat, India (Suryashakti Kisan Yojana, SKY) · 2018 onward; evaluation of 4,321 farmers
Farmers earned up to Rs 21,917 a year from power sales after loan repayment, and dry-season energy use grew more slowly than for non-enrolled farmers.
DocumentedSource
Bangladesh (IDCOL solar irrigation programme) · Ongoing; 1,523 pumps
Off-grid fee-for-service model expanded solar irrigation but panels are underused outside the boro season; IWMI recommends grid connection, the core of the cooperative model.
DocumentedSource
Where it failed
Gujarat's SKY scheme (launched 2018) planned about 12,400 farmers but was scaled back to just over 2,000, because cheap farm power gave little reason to switch, feeder losses were far higher than assumed and the design was complex. In Bangladesh, IDCOL's off-grid fee-for-service solar pumps sit underused outside the boro rice season, weakening their finances. A 2017 IRAP paper warned such cooperatives could entrench subsidies and groundwater over-extraction.
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