Chapter 4 - Photovoltaic water pumping systems for irrigation: principles and advances

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the most water- and energy-intensive sectors of the economy, consuming about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. Access to clean and affordable water for irrigation is an essential step towards guaranteeing water and food security, improving incomes and living standards, decarbonizing an energy-intensive sector and attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and 13 (Climate Action). Ensuring access to water for irrigation, as well as for other agricultural (i.e., livestock watering), domestic, and industrial purposes is a global challenge, and it is more challenging in remote areas where the grid connection is often not available. Solar-powered pumping systems represent a renewable solution for the decarbonization of the irrigation sector worldwide. While solar water pumping systems were used in the past to supply water for irrigation, livestock, and domestic purposes only in remote locations without access to the electric grid, the drastic drop in photovoltaic (PV) modules prices has made the technology also competitive for on-grid applications. This chapter reviews the configurations of solar water pumping systems for irrigation, highlighting the water–food–energy nexus aspects and recent advances, reviewing case studies, and analyzing the economics and current and future challenges.