event 09 Oct 2017

Toolbox // Solar-powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS)

The Toolbox on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) is designed to enable advisors and practitioners in the field of solar irrigation to provide broad hands-on guidance to end-users, policy-makers and financiers.

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(C) DFID / flickr

Why choosing solar irrigation? 12 out of 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face water scarcity. Almost 85 percent of water in the region is used for irrigation. The potential for renewables is high in MENA countries, and solar-powered irrigation systems are among the promising solutions to the issues of water stress in agriculture and the lack of access to electricity.

The Toolbox

It comprises 8 modules supplemented with 14 tools and covers critical aspects such as

  • assessing the water requirements
  • comparing the financial viability
  • determining farm profitability

It furthermore gives insight into how SPIS are designed, set up and maintained. It strives to find the optimal design of a system, thereby avoiding risks related to system efficiency, financial viability and the unsustainable use of water resources.

The Toolbox consists of informative modules supplemented with hands-on tools such calculations sheets, checklists, data collection guidelines. It follows the course of action involved when giving advice on SPIS for an agricultural enterprise. The modular approach enables the user to pick out specific information relevant to his/her situation. Modules and tools however relate to and supplement each other. The tools are available online and users can adapt them to their specific needs.

The Toolbox is available in four Languages:

English, French, Spanish, and Arabic

Modules

  • Get informed
  • Promote and initiate
  • Safeguard water
  • Finance
  • Design
  • Set up
  • Maintain
  • Irrigate

Access

Energypedia website

Published

September 2017

By

The Toolbox on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems is made possible through the global initiative Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC). In 2012, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Duke Energy, and the Overseas Private Investment Cooperation (OPIC) combined resources to create the PAEGC initiative. The objective of PAEGC is to support new and sustainable approaches to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy solutions for increasing agriculture productivity and/or value for farmers and agribusinesses in developing countries and emerging regions that lack access to reliable, affordable clean energy.

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