Solar Powered Irrigation System

Grekkon Limited’s solar powered irrigation system (SPIS) for agriculture in Kenya utilises solar energy as the primary power source to pump water, and distribute it in the farm. Our solar powered irrigation system is a clean energy technology that reduces greenhouse emissions. It substitutes fossil fuels as an energy source. The company supplies and installs these systems within the east Africa region mainly for smallholder farmers

Solar submersible, and solar surface water pumps, and panles on display at Grekkon Limited’s Athi river office

Solar Powered Irrigation System Price In Kenya

1. Drip Irrigation Kit

2. Rain hose kit

Solar Powered Irrigation System (SPIS)

Components

1. A water source. This will be a deep or shallow well, a dug out or natural water reservoir, a river, lake or a an artificial water storage unit
2. Mounting structure for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
3. A solar pump. This will be either a submersible solar electric water pump (ideal for wells, tanks), or a surface solar water pump (best for rivers, shallow reservoirs). The pump will be fixed or portable depending on the size
4. A solar water pump controller
5. The irrigation system. Most solar powered irrigation systems have the drip irrigation kit as the watering component. This is because it operates under low volume, low pressure. However, some farmers opt also for the rain hose irrigation kit depending on the crop type, available water volume, and the pumping pressure. The rain hose kit works best at high water volume, under high pressure

Components of a solar powered irrigation system

How A Solar Powered Irrigation System Works

• Electricity to run the solar water pump is generated by solar PV panels. They absorb the sun’s energy converting it to direct current (DC) electical energy
• This DC energy flows into an inverter/ controller which converts it to alternating current (AC) electrical energy. This only applies to AC driven motors
• The AC power is channeled to the motor, which runs the pump
• The pump distributes water to the irrigation system

The number of panels used depends on the motor size. The larger it is, the higher the number of PV panels required

A farmer will opt to irrigate by pumping directly to the irrigation system, or to an elevated storage unit, from which the water flows to the irrigation system by gravity

Solar Powered Irrigation System

Benefits

i. It allows for water pumping in electricity off-grid locations by generating its own solar electric power

ii. It reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases as it does not run on fossil fuels

iii. Farmers produce all your round so long as irrigation water is available

iv. It has near zero maintainance and operating costs, as there’s no drudgery during irrigation

v. There are no opertional costs unlike fossil fuel powered water pumps that require diesel or petrol purchases to run

How Do I Choose A Solar Pump?

i. The amount of water needed. This is based on the target acreage. The larger it is, the more the water required, the larger the flow rate of the pump should be

ii. The pumping head. This is the vertical elevation to which the pump must deliver water. It is the pressure rating of the solar pump

iii. Water source.  A surface solar water pump will suction water upto 6M. Water deeper than this will be drawn with a submersible solar water pump

Solar Powered Irrigation System

FAQs

1. What is a solar power irrigation system?

It is a unit composed of a solar pump, and  an irrigation kit

2. Do solar panels work at night?

No they don’t. However, a farmer can choose to set up a battery to store power during the day, to power the irrigation system at night

3. Do solar panels work in the rain?

They work optimally under clear skies. Their efficiency is dramatically reduced with heavy cloud cover

4. How many solar panels does it take to run a water pump?

It depends on the size of the motor attached to the solar pump. The greater it is, the higher the number of solar panels required

5. What is the weakness of a solar pump?

They do not work if there is no solar energy provision

6. What solar pump is best for agriculture?

Grekkon limited has the best solar powered water pumps for agriculture because they are designed for small, and medium holder farmers in Africa who constitute about 87% of the farmeing community on the continent

7. How long do solar water pumps last?

For more than 20 years with regular servicing

8. Does a solar water pump need a battery?

No. It will work with the current received directly from the solar panels

9. How deep can a solar pump work?

It depends on the head of the submersible solar pump. Some work in wells as deep as 500M

10. Do you need an inverter with solar panels?

Yes if the pump uses AC current. The inverter will convert the DC to AC. However, a DC pump will not require an inverter

Fossil fuel powered water pumps carbon emissions calculation

The downside of fossil fuel powered water pumps is CO2 emissions, which contribute to global warming, the chief reason for negative climate change being experienced today. To calculate the quantity of CO2 emission from a diesel water pump, multiply the fuel usage in litres by a factor of 2.67. For example; a pump that consumes 100 litres of diesel per month emits 267kgs of CO2 emissions monthly. To calculate the quantity of CO2 emission from a petrol water pump, multiply the fuel usage in litres by a factor of 2.3035. For example; a pump that consumes 100 litres of petrol per month emits 230.35 kgs of CO2 emissions monthly