Abstract
Irrigation pumping is a major expense of agricultural operations, especially in arid/semi-arid areas that extract large amounts of water from deep groundwater resources. Studying and improving pumping efficiencies can have direct impacts on farm net profits and on the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from pumping plants. In this study, the overall pumping efficiency (OPE), the GHG emissions, and the costs of irrigation pumping were investigated for electric pumps extracting from the Rush Springs (RS) aquifer in central Oklahoma and the natural gas-powered pumps tapping the Ogallala (OG) aquifer in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The results showed that all electric plants and the majority of natural gas plants operated at OPE levels below achievable standard levels. The total emission from the plants in the OG region was 49% larger than that from plants in the RS region. However, the emission per unit irrigated area and unit total dynamic head of pumping was 4% smaller for the natural gas plants in the OG area. A long-term analysis conducted over the 2001–2017 period revealed that 34% and 19% reductions in energy requirements and 52% and 20% decreases in GHG emissions can be achieved if the OPE were improved to achievable standards for plants in the RS and OG regions, respectively.
Highlights
Irrigated agriculture around the world relies heavily on energy resources to extract freshwater and to convey it to application sites
The measured water pressure was larger for irrigation systems in Rush Springs (RS), resulting in a smaller difference in total dynamic head (TDH) compared to groundwater depth (GWD)
The first part of the analysis provided estimates for natural gas extraction, processing, storage, and transportation, while the second part resulted in emission estimates for end-use at the irrigation field
Summary
Irrigated agriculture around the world relies heavily on energy resources to extract freshwater and to convey it to application sites. This is especially the case in arid/semi-arid regions, where large amounts of irrigation water are required to sustain crop production. Wang et al [3] have reported that pumping groundwater for irrigation accounts for 3% of total emissions from agriculture in China. In the U.S, carbon emissions due to pumping irrigation water have been reported to be about three million metric tons per year, with electric pumps responsible for 46% of the total emission, followed by diesel (32%) and natural gas (19%) [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
