Solar powered automated water pumping system for eco-friendly irrigation

Abstract

Many villages in India use fossil fuel based water pumping system for irrigation due to a shortage of electricity. Fossil fuel causes great damage to the environment as they release harmful greenhouse gases. Conventional generation of electricity by thermal and nuclear power plants also harm the environment. In this research work, we propose a solar energy based automated water pumping system which can be used in many villages as an alternative to the fossil fuel based water pumping systems. As the system is automated, the water pumps are switched on only when the moisture content of the soil is below a critical level which is determined by the moisture sensors planted in the fields. An intelligent microcontroller based circuit board is the heart of the system. As part of this research work, we conducted a case study in a village called Siruvani near Coimbatore district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. Agriculture is the lifeline for most of the forty-four families that live in this village. Currently, they use diesel based water pumping system which is not only expensive but also harms the environment. The villagers' profit is greatly reduced as they spend a lot of money in buying diesel for running the water pump system. The study conducted by us shows that the proposed solar based automated water pumping system if implemented would be a boon to these villagers in terms of cost and profit. In addition, this can save a lot of water and is environment-friendly. In this paper we would discuss the design and implementation of the automated solar water pumping system along with the case study carried in Siruvani village.