For many years, in remote areas across the country, the lack of electricity and difficulties in pumping irrigation water have left many areas of land abandoned. For crops that have a long growing period of 6-10 months, especially needing water in the first three months, ensuring a regular source of irrigation water is a matter of survival.
Faced with climate change and prolonged drought, the need to apply water-saving solutions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels has become increasingly urgent. Installing solar panels to operate water pumps and combining drip irrigation systems has brought about remarkable results.
Many plots of land previously considered "difficult to cultivate" due to being far from the power grid have now been covered with greenery, at the same time bringing high economic value to farmers.
Solar irrigation increases productivity and does not pollute the environment.
Solar powered drip irrigation systems are simple yet effective. Electricity is generated from solar panels, which directly powers a pump to move water from a well or pond to a tank or directly into the drip irrigation system.
Thanks to the mechanism of supplying water drop by drop, right at the base of the tree, the amount of water used is significantly reduced compared to flood irrigation or sprinkler irrigation, while limiting evaporation and keeping the soil moist. If combined with a venturi fertilizer injector, the fertilizer is dissolved in water and delivered evenly to each root, helping the tree to absorb thoroughly, reducing labor and limiting waste.
One of the typical models is the family of Mr. Nguyen Cong Khanh in the border commune of Suoi Day, Tan Chau district ( Tay Ninh ). On the cassava growing area, Mr. Khanh invested in a system including 6 solar panels with a capacity of 175 W/panel, a specialized inverter for water pumps, water level sensors, pipes, filter valves and drip irrigation nozzles. The total investment cost is only about 10 million VND/ha. Previously, each time he watered, he had to use an oil pump at a cost of about 300,000 VND/time, watering once a week in the rainy season and four times in the dry season, leading to high costs and lack of initiative. Connecting the grid to the power grid was not feasible because the garden was far from residential areas, so he switched to a solar-powered system.
After nearly a year of operation, the results exceeded expectations: The cassava garden developed evenly, the plants were healthy, the yield reached more than 40 tons/ha, an increase of 25-30% compared to before, bringing in a profit of nearly 60 million VND/ha.
Mr. Khanh said the system operates stably, durably, and the operating cost is almost zero. Because solar panels are a one-time investment and can be used for decades, his family only needs one more crop to recover the investment. Not only does it provide water, the system also allows automatic fertilization by dissolving fertilizer in water and delivering it through the pipe, making fertilization faster, more even, and more effective than manual methods.
Not only in Tay Ninh, many other localities are also applying similar solutions. In Binh Thuan , the solar-powered drip irrigation model for dragon fruit is deployed in training courses for farmers. The system uses a 1.5 kW pump connected to solar panels, providing stable irrigation water all year round, saving a large amount of water and significantly reducing electricity costs.
Previously, some student groups also developed an automatic drip irrigation model using solar energy for grapefruit gardens in Ninh Thuan, integrating humidity sensors and automatic control, allowing the system to operate automatically during the day without grid electricity.
Water-saving irrigation methods for agriculture.
In fact, using solar energy for drip irrigation systems not only helps farmers save costs and increase productivity, but also contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the orientation of green agricultural development.
The system is suitable for many types of crops such as cassava, dragon fruit, grapefruit, coffee, pepper, etc., especially in areas with lots of sunshine, limited water sources and far from the power grid. Although the initial investment cost may be a barrier, with a battery life of 20-25 years and operating costs of almost zero, the long-term economic efficiency is very obvious.
In the context of increasingly limited water resources and increasingly urgent emission reduction requirements, solar drip irrigation model is the right direction for modern agriculture.
Replicating the model, supporting loans and training farmers in operating and maintaining the system will contribute to promoting sustainable production, reforesting barren land and increasing income for people in disadvantaged areas.
Source: https://mst.gov.vn/ung-dung-ky-thuat-nang-luong-mat-troi-tuoi-nho-giot-cho-cay-trong-197251125215358483.htm
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