Abstract Irrigation is widely recognized as a promising strategy for enhancing agricultural productivity in Sub‐Saharan Africa. To support its expansion, solar‐powered irrigation systems are increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative. However, unlike fossil fuel‐based systems, the performance of solar irrigation is more sensitive to climate variability and change. This study assesses the impact of climate change on the cost and cost efficiency of stand‐alone solar irrigation systems across Sub‐Saharan Africa, using 15 CMIP6 climate scenarios. Our findings indicate that climate change is likely to increase investment costs and reduce the cost efficiency of solar irrigation systems compared to diesel‐powered alternatives in most countries and agricultural areas of the region. Nevertheless, the expected decline in cost performance of solar irrigation systems is moderate and is likely to be offset by continued reductions in solar panel prices.
Xie et al. (Sun,) studied this question.