Mobile solar irrigation system: An efficient and environment-friendly solution for agricultural irrigation
Irrigation systems using solar energy not only increase irrigation efficiency but also reduce carbon emissions, contributing to both agricultural productivity and environmental impact
Climate change is causing enormous problems for agricultural crop production, particularly rice and wheat, the nation's staple foods. Erratic weather patterns, rising sea levels leading to salinisation, and more frequent and intense storms are all wreaking havoc on crops, jeopardising the world's food security.
Although Bangladesh is not a major contributor to climate change, it is still helping to fight it by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Several government policies and many more agricultural interventions are in place to mitigate climate change.
In line with these initiatives, BRAC's Climate Change Programme is at the forefront of this effort with its innovative mobile solar irrigation system. Groundwater supplies are running low, and it's becoming increasingly important to find ways to manage this critical resource. As a result, this mobile solar irrigation pump can be a suitable and sustainable solution for irrigation in our country.
The system is highly sustainable and eco-friendly. Being a tropical country, Bangladesh is rich in the abundant supply of solar energy. Irrigation systems using solar energy not only increase irrigation efficiency but also reduce carbon emissions, contributing to both agricultural productivity and environmental impact.
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On the other hand, frequent power cuts and the higher price of diesel make irrigation in agriculture costly. However, a community-based approach can use mobile solar irrigation pumps to provide irrigation support to a larger group of small-scale farmers.
In Bangladesh, farmers traditionally rely on nearby canals, ponds, and groundwater for irrigation. They often resort to diesel pumps due to the limited availability of electricity in some regions. However, diesel fuel emits carbon dioxide, which contributes to the pollution of the environment.
To address these challenges and improve land use, BRAC's Adaptation Clinic Project has implemented an innovative initiative. They've provided irrigation to the farmers in Patuakhali, Jamalpur, and Satkhira districts, using a total of four mobile solar irrigation systems. In addition to irrigation, these mobile solar pumps can be used for household-level electricity supply. This also provides farmers with the opportunity to sell any surplus electricity to their neighbours.
The maximum benefit of irrigation can be obtained by installing panels and pumps at convenient locations for water reservoirs and agricultural land. This reduces the cost of installing additional solar panels and provides irrigation services to many farmers. Where irrigation is possible at 70% less cost than the conventional irrigation system, as a result, the production costs of farmers are also decreasing.
Previously, solar irrigation systems often relied on fixed solar panels mounted on stands. These setups had limitations. They could only irrigate specific, limited areas, requiring farmers to install additional, expensive panels in different locations to cover larger fields. This system ultimately increased irrigation costs for farmers.
Mobile solar irrigation systems have come as a boon for farmers here. Through this, the farmers of these villages can easily use solar energy to irrigate the crops from the surface freshwater source on the agricultural land. While the irrigation solution in remote areas has been solved, environment-friendly irrigation has also been ensured.
The installed solar panel array is a mono-half cell with a capacity of 3.3 kW and includes a 3 kW Hybrid Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT). The pump itself is 3 HP, and both the inlet and outlet pipes have a diameter of 3 inches.
This entire system, including a centrifugal pump, is portable and comes with a suction pipe and strainer. Due to its portability, the pump can easily be used in five or six locations at once during a single season, supporting at least 18 to 20 farmers at each site. The pump can irrigate a catchment area of approximately 500 feet radius for each location where it is used.
BRAC will select one farmer who can operate the solar pump and will provide irrigation service at a minimum rent, which is around 30% of the cost of traditional irrigation. Based on the type of irrigation, he can provide the same service to the community, which will create an opportunity for the farmer to become an entrepreneur. In this case, the operating cost for him will be zero as this pump is solar energy-based, and the farmer only needs to know the procedure for operating this pump.
To reduce the use of groundwater, this mobile solar irrigation system is the ultimate solution for farmers. It can be used in community-based approaches to provide services to more farmers for sustainable agriculture.
Day by day, the impact of climate intensity is being felt in Bangladesh's agriculture. To combat the climate crisis, effective irrigation is a must.
From now on, mobile solar irrigation should be increased to provide irrigation facilities to cover large areas under irrigation systems, operating for longer durations. These good practices in irrigation need to be scaled up in more localities, ensuring sustainable solutions for irrigation in Bangladesh.
Nahin Mahfuz Seam is a Monitoring and Documentation Officer at the Climate Change Programme, BRAC.
A. K. M. Raisul Alam Khan is a Programme Manager at the Climate Change Programme, BRAC.
Kaniz-Fatema-Tuz-Zahura is a Deputy Manager at the Climate Change Programme, BRAC.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
