Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Solar Photovoltaic based Irrigation

Abstract

Irrigation is a crucial component of agriculture that helps to sustain crop growth and enhance agricultural output. The majority of nations around the world have adopted diesel-powered pumping units to irrigate their farmlands. However, increased fuel costs and strict emission laws have made these nations to look for alternate and clean energy powered pumping units. Conventional systems use fossil fuels such as coal and emit various gases through combustion, which are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, and this has an effect on water bodies by increasing temperature, altering precipitation patterns, and increasing the frequency of flooding and drought. Solar water pumping systems are a more promising solution to these issues. Solar irrigation is a climate mitigation technology that reduces agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite its potential, small-scale farmers cannot afford photovoltaic (PV) systems and instead rely on traditional diesel-powered irrigation pumps. Solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) have emerged as a promising technology to increase irrigation access and are being rapidly implemented in a number of developing nations. The purpose of this study is to examine the social, economic, and environmental implications of introducing solar irrigation systems. This paper presents the results of a field study undertaken in the Ramgarh block in Dausa district Rajasthan to evaluate the socio-economic and climatic impact of photovoltaic irrigation systems. In addition, operating solar PV water pumping systems in grid-connected mode can significantly reduce their payback period. Diesel units have 300% more expensive pumping costs than solar PV units. Therefore, solar PV water pumping units can be viewed as an effective and environmentally friendly way of irrigating farmland.