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Solar Water Pumps

Solar water pumps can increase yields while reducing labor for farmers in developing countries who lack access to electricity, but commercial markets for these pumps are nascent.

Header Competitions Solarwaterpump

2019 Global LEAP Awards Solar Water Pump Competition

The 2019 Global LEAP Awards Solar Water Pump Competition will identify and recognize innovative early-movers and best-in-class products in the pump market.

Nominations opened 8 November 2018 and closed on 18 January 2019. Manufacturers and distributors of solar water pumps may nominate more than one product for one or multiple categories.

Nominate a Product

Winners and Finalists of the 2019 Global LEAP Awards Solar Water Pump competition will receive the following benefits:

  • Find potential investors through the newly-formed Efficiency for Access Coalition Investor Network. Convened by Acumen, the network includes Shell Foundation and 18 other leading investment organizations.
  • Participation in a global promotional campaign, including opportunities to interface with distributors and investors in key markets.
  • Eligibility for financing programs, innovation prizes and other benefits including including Global LEAP results based financing (Global LEAP RBF) incentives.
Categories Table

All nominated solar water pumps will undergo testing in an accredited laboratory and an evaluation by a panel of off-grid market experts to assess product energy performance, service delivery, quality, reliability, and affordability.

Products eligible for the Competition must be designed with specifications to operate efficiently in at least one of the following categories:

SWP Refrigerator GL Timeline
India Water Pump Prashanth Vishwanathan Iwmi

Solar water pumps have the potential to improve the lives and livelihoods of the nearly 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide who lack energy access by increasing productivity, yields, and incomes. Pumps can reduce the labor burden on women and girls in particular, unlocking direct educational and nutritional impacts.

Solar water pumps, however, present significant technical challenges since their performance is highly dependent on use case, intended application, size of the associated energy system, and other environmental factors.

By providing clear and actionable signals to the global off-grid market about solar water pump quality and performance, the 2019 Global LEAP Awards will help catalyze the commercial market for this life-changing technology.