SOLAR BASED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

PREPARED BY- TAPAN DERASARICOLLEGE OF AIT,AAU,ANANDGUJARAT.

Introduction The supply of electricity is not reached up to every villages.

Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy in the world.

Solar based irrigation system: a suitable alternative for farmers in the present state of energy crisis in India (also it is an eco-friendly – green way for energy production)

Provides free energy after an initial investment is made.

An automatic irrigation system using solar power, controller and moisture sensor is used to pump water from bore well to a tank, to control the flow rate of water from the tank to the irrigation field. Thus optimizes the use of water.

System Component

How the system works?This system mainly consists of two modules- Solar pumping module. Automatic irrigation module.

I. Solar pumping module:Solar Panel:Photons: Miniscule particles called photons, which radiate from the sun, makes the sun light.As these hit the silicon atoms of the solar cell, they transfer their energy to loose electrons.

This involves creating an electrical imbalance within the cell, which acts a bit like a slope down which the electrons will flow in the same direction.

The separation of charges is then used to charge a battery using a control circuit.Battery stores the charge.Then by using a Converter circuit it gives power to the water pump which is submerged inside the well. Then the water is pumped into an overhead tank for storing water temporarily before releasing the water into the field.

II. Irrigation module:

A moisture sensor is used to sense the level of moisture content present in the soil. It has a level detection module in which we can set a reference value. With the help of moisture sensor signaling a controller, aControl pulse is given to the driver circuit that excites the motor.So the pump starts working and moves water to the irrigation field as per the soil moisture content.When the soil moisture content reaches the required value, the motor is stopped and power to driver circuit is stopped and controller is put into sleep mode for low power consumption.

When the moisture in soil is dried and reaches a minimum cut-off value, the controller comes out of sleep mode and flow of water is regulated. This way the whole system works automatically.

Prediction of requirement Suppose we have to run 2HP motor for irrigation. For

that the energy required is: 2HP=1.5 Kw. :. 1.5 Kw=1500 watt Power=volt*current V=240 v So, current(I)=1500/240 =6.25 A. Requirement for rechargeable batteries of 120V: Power=volt*current 1500= N*volt*current (N=number of require batteries) 1500=N*240*6.25 :. N=2. (2 batteries are required)

Requirement for solar panels:1 solar panel of 72 cells generates 200wattsRequired power is 1500 watts. : .1500/200=7.5 Nearly 8 solar panels are required

Components Unit Cost Quantity Total Cost

Solar Panel(72 cells)

24,000 8 192,000

Water pump 15,000 1 15,000

Battery(120 v) 20,000 2 40,000

Converter Circuit 1000 1 1000

Overall Cost 2,48,000

Cost Calculation:

Subsidy information:

The below information should be given by farmers to avail subsidy by government: Depth of water in feet. (average water level in well/bore-

well throughout year) Area under irrigation. (Vigha/hectares) Type of irrigation facility. (Drip Irrigation/Sprinklers

Irrigation/ flood irrigation)

Advantages: It helps in saving Energy.There is no fuel cost - as it uses available free sun light.No electricity required. Can be operated lifelong. It works everywhere. It is also useful for clean, drinking water sanitation and

also irrigation.The dependence on rain is reduced. It creates wealth for farmers by increasing no of crops.

Disadvantages:

High initial cost. Non-working at night. Solar Panel Inefficiency. (A solar panel

can convert < 22% of the energy it gets from the sun into electrical energy).

Bulky solar panels are required for the large power production.

Conclusion-Easy to implement system and environment friendly solution for irrigating fields.-Found successful for bore holes as they can pump over the whole day. -Minimal maintenance, manual interaction and attention as they are self-starting.-In long run this system is economical.

Thank You!