SPIS Toolbox - Crops and Livestock
| ►Back to the Start Page | ►Back to the Module Page | ►Go to the Next Chapter |
Crops and Livestock
An overview of the prevailing types of crops and/or livestock in the country or region of interest serves to understand which SPIS are most suitable and is also indicative of the market potential for SPIS technology. This is particularly relevant for SPIS system suppliers and entities seeking to promote adoption of SPIS by farmers. This information can be sourced from government ministries in charge of agriculture, global research studies on cultivated areas, FAO databases on crop cultivation among others.
Additionally, stakeholders interested in promoting or setting up SPIS schemes can use agro-ecological zones (AEZs) to determine the most suitable crops to be cultivated and animals to be reared in an area. AEZs define areas based on combinations of soil, landform and climatic characteristics and match suitable crops and animals to regions. The zones can also be used to determine the potential yields of the main crops grown within the zone thus helping with income projections of the target market. As discussed under Finance in Chapter 3, access to finance is a key parameter in evaluating a market’s potential for SPIS.
The Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) portal by FAO and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) provide a comprehensive online portal with details on land resources, agro-climatic resources, suitability and potential yield, actual yield and production and yield and production gaps. Stakeholders interested in SPIS can refer to this or similar tools to determine important characteristics that influence the type of crops or livestock in an area.
Outcome/Product
- List of crops grown and animals reared in selected countries or regions
- AEZ classification for selected areas
- Potential crop/livestock yield within the area of interest
Data Requirement
- Global AEZ by FAO and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
People/Stakeholders
- Ministry of Agriculture
Ambient Temprature
As the name suggests, this parameter looks at the temperature of the areas surroundings. This has two main effects on SPIS potential:
- affects the efficiency of SPIS and
- affects the crops and livestock found in an area.
On efficiency of SPIS, temperature is a key factor in the design of pumping systems as it affects the functionality and life span of solar PV equipment. The flow of electricity and the voltage output of solar panels depend linearly on the operating temperature of the panels. Lower temperatures produce reduced resistance to electricity flow resulting in higher voltage outputs; higher temperatures increase resistance and subsequently lead to lower voltage outputs. High ambient temperatures also affect the performance of the system’s inverter by reducing its frequency which in turn reduces its efficiency and the flow rate of the pump.
Due to the variability of climate in different regions, most panels do not operate under ideal temperature conditions. To correct this, panels in hotter regions of the world are often designed with cooling systems to keep the panels within certain temperatures. Additionally, PV systems in different temperature environments must be sized to ensure that the output voltage is not too high, which could damage the equipment.
The range of crops and livestock that are suitable in an area is often affected by ambient air temperature. Analysis of thermal regimes using agro-ecological zoning discussed in the previous section can reveal crops and livestock suited to a region based on its temperature. This may then inform the need for SPIS for the said region.
Outcome/Product
- Determination of ambient temperatures in potential SPIS markets
- Selection of suitable solar technology based on temperature regimes
- Determination of suitable crops and livestock based on temperatures
Data Requirement
- Global AEZ by FAO and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
People/Stakeholders
- Meteorological service providers
Important Issues
- Panel selection should be done with ambient air temperature in mind to maximize efficiency of the system and to ensure adequate voltage output.
