Solar Energy for Agriculture System

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of solar water pumping systems from a technical and economic point of view; to estimate the optimal system size and compare it with conventional diesel pumping systems in order to fulfill water requirements for irrigation and livestock needs. The selected site is an isolated agriculture area located Fayoum City, Egypt with a maximum required power of 443 kW peak for 121 m3/hr supplies. This study investigates three systems: diesel system, off-grid PV/battery system and PV grid extension (on-grid) system. The proposed optimization sizing methodology is performed using HOMER 3.13.8 software package with least net present cost and cost of energy. The capacity for pumping power is also estimated. The results showed that net present cost of PV grid extension pumping system is equivalent to three times the off-grid PV battery system and four times the diesel system. The cost of electricity is 0.07 $/kWh for the PV grid extension system, though 0.332 $/kWh for the off-grid PV battery system as well as 0.434 $/kWh for the diesel system. For the amount of CO2; the PV grid extension system is six times smaller than diesel system.