On the feasibility of solar-powered irrigation

Solar-powered agricultural irrigation is an attractive application of renewable energy. However, to be practical it must be both technically and economically feasible. Here, a method is presented for calculating the feasibility of photovoltaic-powered (PVP) irrigation. The feasibility is expressed as a function of location, which includes climate data, aquifer depth and cost, including local political policies such as carbon taxes. A discounted cash flow analysis is used to compare the lifecycle costs of photovoltaic-, diesel engineand electrical grid-powered irrigation systems. Five examples illustrate the method’s application. These results suggest that PVP irrigation is technically and economically feasible, provided that there is enough land available for the solar array. ! 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Building 3-472m, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. Tel.: +1 617 253 5095; fax: +1 617 258 7881. E-mail address: [email protected] (L.C. Kelley).