Felix Reinders
ARC-Institute for Agricultural Engineering
A
griculture drives the
world’s water use as it
accounts for 70 percent
of total global freshwater withdrawals. Around 56% of
global irrigated land requires energy and that number is growing.
Cities, industry and other users, too,
claim increasingly more water, energy, and land resources, and simultaneously face problems of environmental degradation and, in some
cases, resources scarcity. This situation, which has unpredictable impacts for livelihoods and the environment, is expected to exacerbate
in the near future as 60 percent
more food will need to be produced in order to feed the world
population by the year 2050.
Solar-powered irrigation systems
(SPIS) are increasingly in demand in
developing countries as they can
provide a cost-effective and “clean”
solution to increase agricultural
productivity. Access to water for
irrigation is key to farmers, particularly in order to sustain their livelihoods and food security. However,
operating irrigation systems effi-
ciently often calls for the adoption
of local irrigation techniques and
this in turn requires a source of energy. In the absence of a reliable
electricity supply in many rural areas in several developing countries,
farmers have to resort to dieselbased pumping systems. These systems create high operating costs
particularly in remote areas, require
frequent servicing which is not always available, contribute to GHG
emissions, and contribute to the
energy bill in countries that do not
produce such fuels.
Old and new technology: Solar-powered irrigation systems are increasingly in demand
Photo: http://www.reeep.org/sites/default/files/styles/reeep_large/public/field/image/Sunflower%20solar%20pump%20banner%20version.jpg?itok=El8M8atX