Techno-economic Evaluation of Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumping based Micro-irrigation System in Vegetable Cultivation: A Case Study

Author: M.K. Ghosal*, Soni Badra and Narayan Sahoo

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Abstract

Techno-economic assessment of a standalone solar photovoltaic water pumping based drip irrigation system has been evaluated for okra cultivation in 1 acre of land in warm and humid climatic condition of the state of Odisha, India in rabi and summer seasons during 2018-19. This activity has been taken up with a view to study the feasibility of creating secured irrigation facility at the individual level through a pumping system powered by sustainable and eco-friendly solar PV electricity for cultivating highly remunerative vegetables in order to improve the livelihood of small and marginal farmers. Micro-irrigation method through drip system has been integrated with the solar PV device to achieve judicious utilization of water. Monthly income of Rs. 10,000/- throughout the year may be possible by adopting remunerative hybrid okra cultivation in 1 acre of land both during rabi and summer seasons and payback period was calculated to be only 2 years.

Keywords

Solar photovoltaic system, Solar PV water pump, Micro-irrigation, Water use efficiency, Drip irrigation, Vegetable cultivation

Conclusion

Agricultural production depends on the availability of two important input materials i.e. water and energy. There is at present the crisis of these two materials worldwide particularly in the agricultural sector. However, it is the dire need of time to increase the crop production in order to feed the fast rising of the population. Hence, sustainable approaches are necessary to achieve energy and food security. One of the promising approaches is the use of solar photovoltaic water pumping unit not only for its cost-effective application but also usage at the individual level in remote off-grid areas, especially in the developing countries (Sontake and Kalamkar 2016). Continuous research and developments in recent years have established the fact of the economic viability of the photovoltaic water pumping system in the domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors compared to the conventional ones, mostly in the tropical belts of the world (Kelley et al., 2010). This paper therefore focu

References

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How to cite this article

Ghosal, M.K., Badra, S. and Sahoo, N. (2021). Techno-economic Evaluation of Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumping based Micro-irrigation System in Vegetable Cultivation: A Case Study. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 13(3a): 464-469.