Consultant - Agri-PV System Design

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, non-profit research-for-development organization that collaborates with governments, civil society, and private-sector partners to address water-related challenges in developing countries and scale sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center with offices in 15 countries and a global network of researchers working across approximately 56 countries. IWMI is seeking a qualified consulting organization to undertake the Agri-PV System Design Consultancy under the SoLAR Phase II Project. Building on the achievements of SoLAR Phase I (2019–2025), implemented in partnership with the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), which generated strong evidence on solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) and grid-connected solar irrigation systems in Bangladesh, SoLAR Phase II (2025–2028) aims to advance these efforts through the piloting of agrivoltaic (Agri-PV) systems on existing and new SIP infrastructure. The selected consulting organization will support the development of agrivoltaics in Bangladesh by combining international engineering expertise with local hydro-agronomic knowledge. The assignment includes conducting Agri-PV system simulations to optimize clean energy generation under Bangladesh’s solar irradiance conditions and developing calibrated crop growth models using empirical agronomic data, including photosynthetic light-response analysis of selected high-value vegetable crops under varying direct and diffuse light conditions. Objectives of the Assignment The consulting organization will: Assess the technical feasibility of integrating Agri-PV systems with existing and new solar irrigation pump infrastructure in Bangladesh. Optimize Agri-PV system designs through engineering simulations to maximize clean energy generation under local climatic conditions. Evaluate crop performance under Agri-PV systems by developing calibrated crop growth models