Toolbox on SPIS
Introduction
The Toolbox on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) is designed to enable advisors, service providers and practitioners in the field of solar irrigation to provide broad hands-on guidance to end-users, policy-makers and financiers. Risks related to system efficiency, financial viability and the unsustainable use of water resources can thus be minimized. The Toolbox comprises informative modules supplemented with user-friendly software tools (calculations sheets, checklists, guidelines). read more
Modules and tools touch upon:
- assessing the water requirements,
- comparing the financial viability,
- determining farm profitability and payback of investment in SPIS,
- sustainably design and maintain a SPIS,
- highlight critical workmanship quality aspects,
- and many more.
Background & Acknowledgement
This manual was developed in an effort to contribute to the goal of the international initiative ‘Powering Agriculture – An Energy Grand Challenge for Development’. It supports the introduction of Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) as one technology option to sustain and increase agricultural production in developing countries. The development of the manual was commissioned by the program ‘Powering Agriculture – Sustainable Energy for Food’ of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development).The manual was developed based on the “Stocktaking and Analysis Report on SPIS” prepared as a result of desk research and case studies in Chile, India, Morocco and Kenya. These were supplemented from exchanges and discussions with stakeholders from the public and private sector, and civil society organizations. The study was carried out in close co-operation with the GIZ sector program Poverty-oriented Basic Energy Services (HERA), which has more than three decades of experience in the field of energy access. The HERA-team provided a wealth of information and was instrumental in the organization and facilitation of the stakeholder workshop in March 2015 and a workshop at FAO in May 2015. The study benefitted from the contact management and facilitation of GIZ Country Offices in Chile, India, Kenya and Morocco. The study team could also largely benefit from support and fruitful discussions with key GIZ staff of the Program for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency in Chile, the Indo-German Energy Program in India, the Energizing Development Kenya Country Program in Kenya and the Program Promoting Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Development in Morocco. During the case studies conducted in the four countries, the authors had the opportunity for exchanges and discussions with a large number of representatives of public services related to renewable energies and agriculture. Support to the research and information collection was largely extended by private sector suppliers and service providers in Germany and in the countries selected for case studies. Notably, the companies Lorentz GmbH and Grundfos have supported the study through their international networks.
Country-based assistance and information was also provided by iEnergia Group (Chile), Claro Energy Pvt. Ltd. (India), Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. (India), Center for Alternative Technologies Ltd. (Kenya), Davies & Shirtliff Ltd. (Kenya), SunCulture Ltd. (Kenya) and AE Photonics Maroc S.a.r.l. (Morocco). The visits to solar-powered irrigation systems in these countries would not have been possible without the support and logistical assistance of these companies. The Delegations of the German Chamber of Commerce in Kenya and Morocco also provided valuable information and facilitated further contacts that were be followed up by the study team. Between May and July 2016, the manual and its tools have been tested in Ghana, Mali and India. We would like to thank the GIZ EnDeV (Ghana), PASSIP/SEWOH (Mali) and IGEN Access (India) programs for their support and initiative to pilot the manual. They enabled us to collect feedback on the manual and the tools and improve them. This second version of the manual and tools is the result of that. Our gratitude goes out to the participants of the workshops and field tests in Tamale, Bamako and Vaishali.
The authors of the study and the manual gratefully thank all stakeholders for their contributions, comments and support.
Hamburg & Niedernhausen, October 2016
Introduction
Most water pumps utilized for irrigation purposes worldwide are powered by engines run on fossil fuels (diesel, petrol, gas) or on electricity supplied from the grid. Fossil energy sources are limited and emissions from their utilization have negative climate impacts. At the same time, the electricity supply in many developing countries is often insufficient and unreliable or wholly absent in rural areas. Moreover, prices of solar panels have reduced while the quality has improved. Today, solar pumps for irrigation have become an economical, technical and environmentally viable alternative to conventional pumping systems.
However, major hindrance for the uptake of the technology is still a lack of information on solar pumps for irrigation and its relatively high investment costs. The knowledge on the potentials, limitations and risks of Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) is incomplete among policy makers, producers and other stakeholders. For example, SPIS are seldom designed in a way that producer needs and site specific conditions (environmental, agronomic and technical aspects) are comprehensively addressed. Consequently, the potential of the technology is not optimized, or worse, has negative ecological and economic impacts.
This manual provides up-to-date information on the technology and methods of promotion, as well as how to finance SPIS. Furthermore it gives insight into how SPIS are designed, set up and maintained. It is accompanied by a set of tools, such as maintenance check lists, data collection guidelines and design calculations. It strives to help find the optimal design of a system, thereby avoiding risks related to system efficiency, financial viability and the unsustainable use of water resources. The manual and tools target stakeholders who advise or finance medium-sized agricultural enterprises. These are agricultural (irrigation) extension advisors and credit officers / risk managers in financing institutions. Furthermore the manual support the advisory function of SPIS suppliers, by providing them with a holistic set of knowledge through which they can guide their clients towards a financially and environmentally sound decision.
The manual follows the course of action involved when giving advice on SPIS for an agricultural enterprise. It consists of this introduction and seven further modules. The modular approach enables the user to pick out specific information relevant to his/her situation. Each module however relates to and supplements the other modules.
Imprint
Published by
Powering Agriculture – An Energy Grand Challenge for Development
Internet: https://poweringag.org
Production
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Project Powering Agriculture – Sustainable Energy for Food Security
Registered offices
Bonn and Eschborn, Germany Friedrich-Ebert Allee 40
53113 Bonn, Germany
T +49 228 4460-0
F +49 228 4460-1766
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-5
65760 Eschborn, Germany
T +49 61 96 70-0
F +49 61 96 79-1115
Editorial Team
Robert Schultz, GIZ Powering Agriculture
Jan Sass, GFA Consulting Group GmbH (GFA)
Christine Fröhlich, GFA
Andreas Hahn, ah Advice International
Lennart Woltering, GFA
Katja Diembeck, GFA
GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. Eschborn, October 2016
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