Abstract
The lack of water in arid and semi-arid regions has often limited agricultural production. Indeed, even where water is available for irrigation, the lack of electricity, as well as the high costs of diesel, has created constraints on small farmers. The purpose of this research is to review the renewable energy potential available in arid and semi-arid zones that can be used for irrigation as a substitute for fossil fuels. In this review, the solar thermal irrigation, solar photovoltaic (PV) irrigation, wind pumping and biomass pumping are discussed. The comparison of different hybrid pumping systems and analyses of renewable sources irrigation assessment in arid and semi-arid regions of Mozambique also are discussed. The results of this study showed that there are still certain technological limitations regarding the use of solar thermal energy for irrigation. As far as wind power is concerned, the analysis of the pumping water life cycle cost showed that the wind power water pumping system is more economical and viable compared to the diesel based system. However, the study concluded that photovoltaic solar energy has been shown to be more viable for pumping water for irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions.
Highlights
The agriculture sector, like other sectors, has become increasingly dependent on energy resources [1] and this is a major consumer in many countries of the world [2]
The results showed that the system installed irrigates the desired plot (0.165 ha) in 6.02 h and showed that irrigation of orchards in the more remote areas using photovoltaic systems is beneficial and adequate for long-term investments compared to diesel engines, considering the total cost of the PV system and the longevity of 20 years
The direct coupled photovoltaic water pumping system studied consisted of the PV array, DC motor, centrifugal pump, a storage tank that serves a similar purpose to battery storage and a maximum power point tracker to improve the efficiency of the system
Summary
The agriculture sector, like other sectors, has become increasingly dependent on energy resources [1] and this is a major consumer in many countries of the world [2]. Among these characteristics, precipitation, which is the source of surface water and groundwater, constitutes the main hydrological variable within arid and semi-arid zones and this varies significantly from place to place [14]. Results of this study could be modeled for any semi-arid region, since these zones generally have the same characteristics
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