Design and Simulation of Solar Powered Sprinkler Irrigation System for Kete Dori Onion Farm
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Date
2020-02
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Ethiopia is among one of the most populated countries where agriculture is dominant sector in
which the seasonal dependency prohibits the productivity of the sector. The availability of many
river basin clearly depicts the irrigation potential the country has. The application of solar water
pumping technology for irrigation is an innovative and sustainable solution to address this issue.
The implementation of this technology can lead to several benefits which include the maximization
of productivity by halting the rainfall dependence and improves the living condition of farmers.
This research aims at designing and optimization of solar powered sprinkler irrigation system
considering the climatic data as it directly influences the irrigation water requirement. Several
models are adopted for the evaluation of techno-economic feasibility and environmental aspect.
The photovoltaic water pumping system with water storage tank that much the irrigation water
demand is proposed and several economic analyses has been conducted to establish the cost
effectiveness. Another investigated model is photovoltaic water pumping system with battery
storage and conventional diesel fuel generator capable of delivering the same demand. The results
show that implementation of both photovoltaic systems is technically viable having performance
ratio of 0.779 and capacity factor of 0.22 which is promising. The economic feasibility assessment
found that net present cost of $24,224, $25,807 and $77,651 and cost of energy and $0.06/kWh,
$0.07615 /kWh and $0.3077/kWh for PV system with tank storage, PV system with battery storage
and Diesel system respectively. The environmental perspective benefit has been also addressed by
the evaluation of the greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing diesel fuel by PV system that will
protect the environment from 17,500 kg/year of CO2, 132kg/year of CO, 4.82 kg/year of unburnt
HC, 42.9 kg/year of SO2, 150 kg/year NOx, 8.03kg/year of particulate matters.
This study shows that the application of the solar energy for irrigation is viable both technically
and economically, and also leads to several environmental benefits including, carbon abatement
cost.
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Keywords
Kete Dori Onion Farm, Powered Sprinkler Irrigation System, Simulation, Solar Power