eCRG Partners with Juwan Power Control Systems on $250,000 Solar Irrigation Initiative for Malawi's Rice Cooperatives
As technical partner to Juwan Power Control Systems, eCRG has submitted a $250,000 Expression of Interest to the Green Economic Transformation Facility to deploy solar-powered PayGo irrigation for women's rice cooperatives in Mangochi, Nkhotakota and Karonga.
eCRG Consulting has partnered with Juwan Power Control Systems, acting as technical partner on an Expression of Interest submitted to the Green Economic Transformation Facility (GETF). The proposal, titled “Scaling Climate-Resilient Rice Production through Solar-Powered Pay-As-You-Go (PayGo) Irrigation,” requests $250,000 in funding, 70% from GETF, with 30% matched by the partnership, to deploy solar-powered irrigation systems for women's rice cooperatives across three districts: Mangochi, Nkhotakota and Karonga.
At a glance
- Status
- Expression of Interest (submitted)
- Funder
- Green Economic Transformation Facility (GETF)
- Funding requested
- $250,000 (70% GETF, 30% partnership match)
- Districts
- Mangochi, Nkhotakota & Karonga
- Lead partner
- Juwan Power Control Systems
How the PayGo model works
Under the proposed model, farmers pay for water access through mobile-generated, AES-128 encrypted tokens rather than facing the high upfront cost of solar hardware. Solar pumps ranging from 750W to 1.5kW are paired with eCRG's proprietary STS-compliant controllers, removing the need for expensive foreign-licensed alternatives and keeping the underlying technology, and the funding, within the Malawian economy.
eCRG's role
eCRG's contribution centres on the digital layer of the system: the tokenisation module and an IoT “heartbeat” monitoring dashboard that tracks flow rate, voltage and battery health in real time, enabling predictive maintenance for cooperatives in remote districts. The model builds on an existing proof of concept, a 6.5kW solar installation already supporting the Kalenjeka Beach Village Community in Mangochi and the Mchinji border area.
Technology transfer & impact
The project also carries a technology-transfer component: senior University of Malawi BSc Electronics students will be attached to the R&D phase for firmware development. If approved, the model is designed to move participating cooperatives from a single rain-fed harvest to up to three harvests per year.
Leadership
The partnership is led by Peter Shaba, CEO of Juwan Power Control Systems, with Associate Professor Chomora Mikeka directing eCRG Consulting's technical contribution.