Benefits of Having Solar Power Irrigation System

Agriculture is a highly demanding energy sector. Electrical and mechanical power is required in agriculture for a number of activities, including land preparation, seeding, irrigation, and harvesting, amongst others. Furthermore, water pumping and distribution through irrigation systems demand the availability of consistent and reliable energy resources. The water-energy nexus, in the agricultural sector, is instrumental, and any increase in demand in any one sector has flow-on effects on the other one.

Urban environments are equally confronted with the high and ever-increasing energy demand to supply water and ensure a healthy and widespread provision of resources for domestic and industrial uses. The implementation of solar-powered pumping systems can also increase access to sustainable and safe water resources for both domestic and production purpose.

Benefits of solar-powered irrigation for agricultural production

Solar technologies are becoming a viable option for both large and small-scale farmers. Solar powered irrigation systems provide reliable and affordable energy, potentially reducing energy costs for irrigation. Particularly in rural areas, where cost of diesel fuel is high or where reliable access to the electricity grid is lacking, they can provide a relatively flexible and climate-friendly alternative energy source.
Solar-powered irrigation technology has been gaining interest worldwide and governments have been promoting strategies to promote renewable energy solutions, including solar energy. In the agricultural sector, solar-powered irrigation can be particularly successful to overcome the frequently occurring energy shortages causing disruption of supply needed for lifting and distributing irrigation water. Challenges, however, remain in the monitoring and governance of abstraction through water pumping systems. Nevertheless, sustainably managed solar-powered irrigation, ultimately, represents a reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution to reduce farmers’ vulnerability to energy shortages that hampers production capacity

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