Socioeconomic and Climatic Impacts of Photovoltaic Systems Operating High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems: A Case Study of the Government Subsidy Scheme for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a field study conducted in the Punjab, Pakistan, to evaluate the socio-economic and climatic impact of Photovoltaic (PV) systems installed under government subsidy scheme for operating high efficiency irrigation systems (HEIS) i.e., drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. Agriculture provides livelihood to almost half of the rural population and recent energy crisis in the country has adversely affected the rural communities. Farmer’s dependence on fossil fuels has significantly increased for operating irrigation systems which has resulted in high costs of agriculture production. Government of Punjab has launched a subsidy scheme to install PV systems for operating efficient drip and sprinkler irrigation systems on cost sharing basis. Photovoltaic systems having a capacity of 17.30 megawatt, were installed to operate high efficiency irrigation systems at around twenty thousand acres under this subsidy project, that has resulted in an annual saving of 0.0066 billion liters of diesel. The average capacity of installed PV systems was 9.0 kilowatt, which matched the 7.50 horse power of installed water pumps. On average, the cost of a PV system per acre was calculated to be 0.000142 billion PKR, while the cost per kWp was calculated to be 0.000149 billion PKR. The research results show that the installation of photovoltaic systems has increased the adoption rate of high-efficiency irrigation systems, reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and reduced the high operating costs associated with diesel powered pump systems. The primary data about on-farm agriculture and irrigation practices used in this study were collected through in-depth farmer surveys, while the secondary data information came from reports, official documents and statistics issued by the government.

Optimization of Standalone Photovoltaic Drip Irrigation System: A Simulation Study

“…For example, in the month of June, total water requirement is 3234.816 cubic meter and the PV system fulfills this demand. PV Systems fulfill the required crop water require ment, similar to results found in the research study conducted by Raza et al [35] and Ta moor et al [56]. If we compare Figures 6 and 7, we see that the PV system fulfills the required cro requirement by only using 28% of potential water supply, and 72% of the potential wate supply has not been used.…”

“…For example, in the month of June, total water requirement is 3234.816 cubic meters and the PV system fulfills this demand. PV Systems fulfill the required crop water requirement, similar to results found in the research study conducted by Raza et al [35] and Tamoor et al [56]. Figure 7 shows the actual water demand and supply by the designed PV system.…”

“…In addition, PVWPS can also survive in extreme weather conditions such as snowfall [33,34]. The use of a PV energy generation system to run the pumping system in the irrigation sector is the most suitable and best option, as there is a natural relationship between solar energy availability and water demand [35]. Currently, Pakistan has more than 0.6 million tube wells in the agriculture sector.…”

The Socio-Economic Impact of Using Photovoltaic (PV) Energy for High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems: A Case Study

“…Photovoltaic power is also more cost-effective than a conventional diesel irrigation system, which provides farmers in remote areas with cheaper access to water and improves their socio-economic and living conditions [24,25]. Research works [26,27] have investigated the socio-economic and environmental effects of using photovoltaic-operated high-efficiency irrigation systems on drip irrigation owners. The results showed that photovoltaic-powered high-efficiency irrigation systems have a major effect on resource savings, such as energy savings, labor cost savings, and water usage reduction, as well as improving crop yields and farmer benefits, all of which help to improve the quality of life in rural areas.…”

Technical modelling of solar photovoltaic water pumping system and evaluation of system performance and their socio-economic impact

“…Electricity from utility grid or diesel generators are typically used to pump water in agricultural sector. However, further development of these systems is hinder by increasing fossil fuel prices, carbon dioxide emissions, and unreliable utility grid and infrastructure in rural and arid areas [ 11 ]. In the agricultural sector, Pakistan seems to have more than 600,000 water tube wells.…”