Media Coverage


SMART-SIP+ Project Leads Participate in UKRI Ayrton Challenge Launch in London


London, March 4, 2025 —
Professor Lynsey Melville, Project Lead, and the International Project Co-lead of SMART-SIP+—a flagship initiative on solar irrigation in Bangladesh—participated in the official UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Ayrton Challenge Launch event, held at Westminster London, Curio Collection by Hilton.

The day-long event brought together all awardees of the prestigious Ayrton Challenge Fund, showcasing 13 innovative research projects aimed at enabling a low-carbon energy transition in developing countries. These projects span critical themes such as low-carbon energy supply, super-efficient demand, and smart energy delivery systems.

SMART-SIP+ (Scalable Market-Oriented Adaptive Rural Technologies through Solar Irrigation Pumps+) was recognized for its pioneering work in leveraging excess solar energy from irrigation pumps to support rural services like cold storage, micro-enterprises, and water purification—particularly with an emphasis on gender-inclusive development.

The launch provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, cross-collaboration, and visibility of UKRI’s global climate innovation portfolio.

To learn more about all thirteen funded projects under the Ayrton Challenge Programme, visit: Projects funded to propel low-carbon energy transition – UKRI


BAU Team Assesses BADC Solar Irrigation Sites for SMART-SIP+ Demonstration


Mymensingh, February 26, 2025 —
A team from Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) conducted a field visit to two Solar Irrigation Pump (SIP) sites operated by the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) to evaluate their potential as demonstration locations for the SMART-SIP+ project.

One of the sites includes an 11 kW solar pump with a 17.2 kW solar panel array under a Low Lift Pump (LLP) scheme, capable of delivering 1 cusec of water. The team observed that the system is currently used for only three months per year during the irrigation season, remaining idle for the rest of the year.

This underutilization presents a key opportunity for SMART-SIP+ to explore productive uses of excess solar energy—such as powering cold storage or rural enterprises—as part of its broader mission to develop sustainable and inclusive rural microgrids.