Design and fabrication of hybrid dc battery-solar powered rechargeable irrigation water pumpingdevice for nigerian small-holder farmers

Abstract

Irrigation is a well-established procedure on many farms and is practiced on various levels around the world. It allows diversification of crops, while increasing crop yields. Typical irrigation systems consume a great amount of conventional energy through the use of electric motors and generators powered by fuel. Nigeria faces water scarcity and high operational costs for traditional irrigation systems, hindering agricultural productivity while the price of conventional fossil fuel is skyrocketing on daily basis. However, the use of solar pumping machine for irrigation purposes in Nigeria is becoming a cost-effective and sustainable option for irrigation, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. However, these systems also have their challenges, such as high initial costs, maintenance and repairs, limited access to spare parts, lack of government policies and regulations, lack of technical expertise, lack of financing options and social acceptance. To reduce some of these challenges, a portable Dcbattery or solar-powered water pumping system was designed, fabricated, and tested to evaluate its efficiency. Using the solar generation factor for Nigeria, detailed calculations were carried out to obtain the design parameters to fabricate device’s components. The device was tested for performance by determining its volume flow rate. The results of two separate experiments obtained show that a flow rate of 20.44 l/min. was realised compared to conventional fuel pump of 20. 34 l/min. to irrigate a hectare of land using 0.4kW pump. Hence, the results obtained demonstrated the functionality and feasibility of the pilot system operation in the region. Consequently, the system produced is reliable, safe, and can be operated with low maintenance cost as a portable device to pump water to irrigate crops.