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[av_heading heading=’Solar-powered irrigation for the countryside’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Wednesday, March 14, 2018
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LOCALLY, the availability of irrigation water depends mostly on the monsoon rains or power needed to operate water pumps.
With lack of electricity, diesel-operated water pumps are usually used to pump water for irrigation purposes.
But the use of diesel-powered engines has many disadvantages like the ever-increasing prices offuel which will affect the economic status of the farmers, and its effect on the environment.
In order to attain food security, there is the need to irrigate the farmland economically, efficiently, and sustainably.
These are the primary reasons why R.U. Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation (RUFMSC) developed an innovative portable solar-powered irrigation system to help the farmers and increase their productivity.
According to Engineer Fred Lista, a solar power expert and consultant of RUFMSC, their portable solar-powered irrigation system is designed to help farmers in the remote areas to irrigate their farmland, which will eventually increase their production during the dry months.
This will result in the increase of the farmers’ income, enabling them to save on fuel cost, aside from the inconvenience of hauling bulky and heavy diesel-powered water pumps to their farmland.
With RUFMSC’s portable solar-powered irrigation system, the farmers will no longer have to suffer the agony of hauling water from far sources, or carrying and transporting diesel-driven water pumps.
One example of RUFMSC’s portable solar-powered irrigation modules is composed of four photovoltaic (PV) panels which are mounted on two separate units made of specially-fabricated and sturdy frames.
The metal frames are incorporated on movable platforms that are built with wheels for easier mobility even in the remote areas.
The photovoltaic module, which has a capacity of at least 1,080 watts, comes with a submersible pump that can generate at least 13 cubic meters of water per hour.
During an average daylight time, the portable irrigation system can have a flow rate at least 130 cubic meters of water – good enough to irrigate more than two hectares of agricultural land.
The extracted water can then be brought, via a pipeline, to as far as 1,400 meters away from the water source.
Water from the rivers, lakes, wells, ponds, and streams can be converted for irrigation purposes.
RUFMSC’s innovative solar-powered irrigation system, which is installed on a reinforced trailer, can be towed easily by a hand-tractor, tricycle, or even pulled manually because the module is light and easy to transport.
In the field, the unit can be set up and become operational within minutes – depending on the source of water, and area to be irrigated.
Since the unit is solar-powered, it needs no fuel, it needs no connection to an electrical source, and no other infrastructure is needed to operate the irrigation system.
The complete system has been designed to perform well even in the remotest agricultural areas.
Solar-powered irrigation facilities can enable the farmers to shift from expensive and pollution-causing diesel-powered pumps towards sustainable and efficient water source.
After all, solar-powered irrigation system is becoming more reliable and much cheaper to operate, and cleaner than diesel fuel. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
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