Category Archives: Benefits of Solar Pumps

Amroha is one of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh and is further divided into 6 blocks. According to a 2011 census, ‘Amroha District’ has a population of 1,838,771, roughly equal to that of the nation of Kosovo or of the US state of Nebraska. Farmers dominate a large part of this number, in Amroha. Amroha is mostly famous for the plantation of tomatoes along with sugar cane and wheat and potatoes. It produces enough tomatoes to export to Bangladesh, all over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, thus leaving behind Punjab in tomato exports. However, this was not the case a decade back. 10 years back Amroha used to be one the most backward districts of UP, with farmers dependent on outdated, old and conventional farming practices. Within 10 years, after adopting and implementing modern agricultural techniques, yields went high and it changed the entire picturesque of Amroha.

Problems Faced

One of the biggest problems that farmers in Amroha face is that they do not get grid electricity for irrigation pumps by the government in the district. However, agriculture is their primary source of livelihood, thus the farmers in the area have now started looking for alternate irrigation solutions.

Therefore, they are having to resort to expensive diesel fueled pumps which are further burning a hole in their pockets and also degrading the present environmental conditions. These diesel pumps cost around 30,000 Rupees and 2,500 Rupees worth of diesel per day is used up to provide proper irrigation to the farms! On an average 60-70 days of irrigation is required if there is round the year farming of multiple crops, which means approximately 1.5lakh is spent on an annual basis only on diesel and electricity for irrigation purpose which is too high.

Solution: Switching to Solar Pumps

Solar powered irrigation pumps were introduced to the village by Claro Energy two years back to combat the problems faced by the farmers and a significant change was observed in such a small amount of time. The solar pumps have a negligible maintenance cost and thus, proved as a money-saving, environment-friendly solution for them. Stellar examples of its use can be observed in the village by different farmers. Though initial investment is on a higher end in solar pumps, but in long run is sustainable and cost effective with an average payback time of 2-3years(considering subsidies and in comparison to diesel pumps). In many cases, subsidies go as high as 90%, which makes payback period even less.

Making the Sun Provide More than Just Power

Dr. Parvender Kumar Panghal, a farmer of a small block Zoya in the district, has 5 acres of land opted for a 5HP solar pump. A 5 HP solar pump set costs somewhere around 5 lakh, but after various govt subsidies He only had to pay 2.6 lakhs, and no maintenance cost for 5 years.He has been able to build a hospital with the cost reduction in his irrigation supply. He’s setting an example for not only the other farmers in the village but the farmers of the world. This solar energy is also helping them improve their standard of living by helping them save money. This situation highlights how a small switch has the ability to change lives.

Access to water is a basic right which is slowly becoming a luxury; Claro Energy is committed to providing access to water to such off-grid rural areas by providing them with solar energy solutions.

Written By: Prakriti Sharma

Edited By: Priyanka Pandey

For years there have been talks about the impact and benefits of solar energy but despite common knowledge, the world is yet to make solar its primary form of energy resource. The transition to solar energy from conventional energy has not been as rapid as it should have been.

There are many reasons attributed to the slow transition – lack of proper information and awareness is a primary one. Some people simply refused to believe that energy can be produced without burning something of some sort. Fortunately, solar energy is no more a mystery today. In the recent past (10-15 years) solar has increased its mainstream presence. With the tremendous rise in pollution, and the resulting global warming, the need for a sustainable energy resource is of paramount importance today.

Here are top 5 facts about solar energy which you didn’t knew before.

• Solar Energy will supply power to One-third of the world by 2060.

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According to International Energy Agency, almost one-third of the world’s population will meet the demand for power supply through Solar Energy.

• If all the energy of the sun shining on the Earth’s land mass could be harnessed, it would be enough to meet the world’s power needs by 6000 times.

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The sunshine on the Earth’s land is estimated to be 120,000 terawatts (trillion watts), or about 6,000 times the world’s estimated 20-terawatt electricity demand by 2020.

• Solar Powered Aircraft

  

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Yes! You read it right. NASA has been working on a series of solar powered unmanned aircraft since the 1980’s.  Pathfinder, Pathfinder Plus and Helios Prototype, is the result of NASA’s efforts to use solar power for long duration high altitude flights.

• Glass lenses use sun rays to make fire.

  

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Solar energy has started trending from the last 10-15 years, but it’s initial uses dates back to 700 BC, when glass lenses were used to make fire by magnifying Sun Rays.

• World’s First Modern Solar Cell was invented in 1954.

  The solar panel cells that we are familiar with was invented by Bells Laboratories, a subsidiary of Nokia in 1954.

  

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There are so many more such facts about solar that aren’t common knowledge yet. The more people know the more they will adopt the concept. We will be back with more such facts. You can do your bit by spreading the word about solar.

Written By: Priyanka

Edited By: Anirban

India has about 26 million groundwater pumps, which incur a combined cost of $6 billion to the farmer, annually (source). Yet only 44% of the total cultivable area can be brought under irrigation.When talking about irrigation in India, the first few things that come to mind are big dams, dependency on monsoon, canals, use of expensive pollutants like diesel. In truth, these sources of water for irrigation have remained dominant, since inception, for a country in which more than 50% of the population is dependent on agriculture for living. Agriculture contributes to 15% of India’s total GDP.

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Lately though, India has emerged as one of the front runners in the implementation of solar energy.  by using these irrigation facilities. For the rest, farmers are left staring at the rain gods for mercy. The continuous power outage, coupled with monsoon woes, added to the misery of Indian farming and has led to the rise of an energy substitute that doesn’t only reduce the dependency on conventional sources of energy (grid power, diesel generators) but also provides a clean and environment friendly solution in the long run. Solar water pumps offers various solutions.

Solar pumps  run on the electricity generated by photo-voltaic panels or the radiated thermal energy which is collected from sunlight. Solar pumps are useful where grid power is unavailable, or of poor quality and unreliable. The solar pumping systems are widely used for agriculture and livestock, rural /tribal area water supply, forest, and host of other areas where electrification is a challenge. Industries and commercial buildings have also taken recourse to harnessing sun power in right earnest.

India, being a tropical country, receives an abundance of of strong sunlight – paving the way for massive potential in solar energy. Most mainland areas in India get almost 300 days when the sun shines brightly enough to produce up to 5000 kwh solar energy per year.The benefits of solar pumps are not only restricted to irrigation, though. They can offer a various range of applications that can make the users’ lives easier and bring us all a step closer in making India an energy sufficient nation.

Lower cost, bigger benefits :With decreasing prices of solar panels, solar pumps are becoming a more viable solution for farmers. Solar pumps not only lift groundwater from beneath the surface, the have also enabled upliftment of the lives of poor farmers and their families. Savings made from switching to solar water pumps from diesel based ones, can change a farmer’s lifestyle – enabling more crops throughout the year, better seeds, better equipment, healthier livelihoods.

The drinking water solution

Solar pumps are also combating the shortage of clean drinking water. Half of the health hazards faced by India are due unhygienic drinking water. Most of the available freshwater is found in the underground.The various strata of soil, sand, and gravel found underground filter out most disease-causing organisms and harmful chemicals as the water infiltrates through them. Drinking water supply can be met in water scarce areas, areas which face erratic power supply, areas which don’t have access to clean water, and areas which are frequently hit by calamities like drought. Solar pumps can ease access to clean underground drinking water, thus, cutting down the usage of conventional or polluting energy, and contributing towards a healthier nation.

Drip Irrigation

Drip irrigation is an effective mechanism to deliver water directly to the roots, and allows introduction of such crops which would not have survived with a dependence on rainfall or erratic grid power. Solar powered pumps save hours of human labor and are immune to fuel shortage. Additionally, they can be used together in a direct-power system (no batteries) because the solar radiation (which governs pump speed) is also the main driver of evapotranspiration (how much water crops need). Thus, the pump works faster when it is sunny and the plants need more water, and vice-versa.

Fogging

A Fogger is Machine that pressurizes the flow of water and generates water droplets to maintain humidity and a lower temperature in cow sheds, especially in the hot and dry summers of Northern India. These foggers can receive their water supply from solar pumps at a very low maintenance cost. If diesel were used to power these pumps then its emissions could have a dangerous effect on livestock. Solar powered foggers are safe to use with no carbon emission.

Pisciculture and Fisheries

In pisciculture, or fish farming, water is needed to be supplied from a height in order to supply the fish with much needed oxygen. If these water sources were run by grid power then a sudden power cut could hurt the fish stock by affecting their habitation. This is the worst nightmare for someone who is into fisheries and pisciculture or even aquaculture, where one simply can’t afford to lose livestocks to intense heat and fluctuating temperature. Recirculating the water in the system is much needed in aquaculture. In such cases, solar powered pumps provide a stable and predictable supply of water.

Generating Electricity

Solar pumps are not restricted to being just an irrigation asset. Although expensive, if a compatible battery inverter can be connected to solar panels, farmers can sell the extra electricity generated by the solar panels to their neighbors. Solar pumps can, thus, become risk-free income generating assets for farmers. This extra income can lead to a better lifestyle.

Easy installation, low maintenance, zero fuel cost, mobility options, a long life of 20-30 years – these are only some of the factors that have made solar pumps increasingly popular throughout the world. Even if solar pumps are being used for smaller operations, the benefits remain huge.They are not only helping to keep the environment clean but also uplifting lives.

Written By Priyanka

Edited By Anirban