World Irrigation (VII): Use of Solar Pumps in Agriculture and Rural Development

摘要

In an article entitled "Water Lifting Devices with Renewable Energy for Agriculture in Asian Developing Countries" in No.17 of the Journal of Irrigation Engineering and Rural Development (1989), the author introduced several pumping devices being operated with renewable energy —namely human, animal, hydro, and wind power — but solar energy pumps were not touched upon because the cost of photovoltaic cells was too high for practical application. The use of solar power for pumping irrigation water isone of the most attractive options Because solar irradiation is generally intense when the need for pumping is high, In addition, the system can be applied without the worry of fuel supply or electric transmission line, Although photovoltaic (PV) cellsare still expensive and the application of the system is limited to very remote areas where the energy supply is difficult, with the rapid decline in the price of cells and associated equipment, the system will spread widely in the coming years of possible energy shortages. This paper intends to analyze the potential of applying solar-powered pumping to agriculture and rural development and examines the constraints to be solved for wider applications.