Agricultural irrigation with solar energy, an increasingly used alternative

The use of irrigation with solar energy allows to greatly reduce environmental pollution compared to other energy sources such as electricity. In the world, approximately 20 percent of agricultural land is under artificial irrigation.

The progress of solar panels in the agricultural world has been growing for some years and has no prospects of stopping. There are various reasons behind this technology that, apparently, is here to stay.

From the point of view of sustainability, there are no doubts that this way of "generating energy" is totally harmless to the planet, although its management and application must be accompanied by a reasonable use in order to avoid wasting the energy obtained and water. , mainly.

An eco-profitable option

From the FAO, its Director General Helena Semedo, affirms: "The rapid expansion of increasingly affordable solar energy irrigation offers viable solutions that cover the links between water, energy and food, offering a magnificent opportunity for farmers in small scale improve their livelihoods, economic prosperity and food security.

The use of irrigation with the energy of the sun allows to reduce enormously (approximately 95 percent) environmental pollution in comparison with other energy sources such as electricity, which works with petroleum derivatives and emits a large amount of greenhouse gases.

In the world, approximately 20 percent of agricultural land is under artificial irrigation. Its use allows for greater farm profitability by increasing production and diversifying it.

Current application examples

In Morocco, under the "Green Generation" strategy, some 80.000 hectares are already being irrigated with solar energy, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, in another sector media.

The objective of this interesting project is to achieve water and energy efficiency by 2030 with the goal of reaching 20% ​​of the energy used in the agricultural sector originating from renewable energies.

In Tomelloso, Spain, something similar occurs in the irrigation system of a vineyard and almond plantation, where two farmers decided to switch from the energy obtained by a diesel engine to that generated by photovoltaic panels.
While it is true that these technologies require an initial investment, their amortization is relatively fast.

In this particular case, the farmers have transferred the benefits to numbers and as a result they obtained that they went from consuming 20.000 liters of diesel per year to saving 100% of energy costs and also allows great autonomy, being able to take advantage of up to 11 hours a day Sun.

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