Solar Tubewell System in Pakistan

The largest portion of Pakistan’s economy comprises the agricultural industry, which also employs a sizable portion of the country’s inhabitants. As a nation still unable to produce sufficient amounts of electricity, power outages are commonplace in rural areas. Villages utilize 12 to 15 percent of the total electricity generated by the country primarily to power tube wells. The situation in these places is made worse by the high frequency of load shedding in comparison to the cities. These tube wells are connected to solar panel systems that provide power, enabling them to be used for electricity generation; however, the long wait is necessary. Uninterrupted crop watering is made possible by this arrangement, and the nation as a whole gains higher output and profit.

Pakistani people’s fate may change thanks to the Solar Tubewell. Our farming sector may experience growth. Due to their limited education, the farmers are unable to comprehend the technical jargon or prerequisites for installing solar tube wells in Pakistan. Farm solar power plants are created and sized to meet the requirements of agricultural businesses. The solar power plant can be fixed to the ground, a wall, or a sloped roof. Solar tube well pumps from Pakistan Solar Traders are used to transport water from underground or on surface sources, such as ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, and streams, to its final consumption points, which may be a herd, cropped field, or domestic overhead tank. However, the energy needed to power these pumps can be both expensive and inconsistent. Water may be pumped using solar energy, and distant regions benefit greatly from these solar-powered pumping devices.

The following elements are found in a solar-powered pumping system:

• Various sun-oriented modules are connected in parallel or arranged with each sun-based exhibit. Each PV board that faces the sun generates current by converting solar energy to electrical energy.
• Inbuilt controllers in DC pumps or factor recurrence drivers (FD) can control, tune, and coordinate the electrical energy of the entire lattice, enabling the associated pump (which may be surface or submersible) to pull water and hydrate conveyance tubes.
• A water pump powered by sunlight extracts water from lakes, streams, wells, or other sources and pumps it to provide water as needed.

Different drip, bubbler, micro sprinkler, and rain guns can be connected successfully with solar tube-well pumps. They offer the potential for multiple uses on farms, as irrigation and farm electrification are both conceivable with the same investment in PV panels thanks to sophisticated circuitry. It has a weather-responsive pumping system with higher flows during summer when water needs are also high and vice versa for winter, helping stabilize the environment as there are no greenhouse gas emissions during the irrigation process.

Solar Tubewells are specially designed to lift water for irrigation, horticulture farms, gardens, domestic use, drinking, and other similar applications. These systems are the greatest alternatives for places with a lack of electricity or a limited power supply. It will be a sigh of relief for the farmers once the Solar Tubewells are installed because there will be less reliance on the grid for electricity. These farmers will be hardly affected, if at all, by the periodic spikes in electricity prices. The electricity costs for their agricultural needs will be zero. Farmers and landowners are benefiting from this circumstance because their electricity costs have decreased to nil, and their crops are flowering more abundantly than before.

The tube wells water crops and fields on schedule and without any disruption from a lack of power. They do not have to be concerned about rising electricity bills because of their reduced reliance on grid power. After installing solar-powered tube wells, the electricity bill for their agricultural demands can gradually go down. For farmers, the solar tubewell offers a long-term, cost-effective solution with a small initial investment. The fear of power cuts, prevalent in villages, can also be eliminated. On a larger scale, it can assist the entire country in addition to the farmers by watering crops promptly. Regular irrigation results in improved crop yield, which boosts exports and the overall national economy.

There have been efforts all across Pakistan to employ the usage of solar tube wells for more timely production of crops as well as an environmentally friendly approach. With respect to agriculture, solar tube wells and their use is specifically prominent across Punjab due to their fertile lands. The government has also launched a project so that the farmers can exploit this resource and put it to the best use.

The Punjab government has launched a solar tube well program to assist farmers and landowners in creating irrigation systems that will increase crop yield. The following are the key components of the Solar Tubewell Pakistan scheme:

1. The Govt will provide funds constituting 80% of the installation charges.
2. Farmers and landowners who own less than 12.5 acres of land will be eligible for the scheme.
3. The validity of this scheme is limited to the farming land where subterrene water is 50 to 80 feet below the surface.

Another famous approach for the more widespread use of Solar Tube-wells is seen by ZTBL bank. The bank’s green banking team has suggested Solar Powered Drip Irrigation System and Solar Dryer for Agriculture be launched as products by the Bank, which are components similar to the use of Solar Tube-Wells. The bank has tested and researched the effectiveness of the products. Here are the findings:

The primary usage of energy is to pump water for agricultural purposes, and rural areas experience unannounced load shedding, which has completely shut down their agricultural system. Even though the initial cost of installation for a solar drip irrigation system is relatively costly, it was determined to have a greater overall impact than a diesel-operated drip irrigation system in terms of efficiency, energy savings, economy, and environmental safety.

Additionally, it was discovered that the solar system is more cost-effective for operation, so installing solar panels for pumping units is advised. Agriculture crops were traditionally dried in the sun. The quality of the product does not degrade during storage if solar dryers are employed to remove excess moisture from it while insect infestation is decreased.

A single HP pump set discharges about 2000 to 3000 gallons per hour. The discharge rate increases with the number of pumps and can go about 12000 gallons per hour with 5 HP pump sets. The cost of a solar tube well pump depends on the water depth, discharge of water required per day, and delivery pipe. It approximates Rs. 125000 per HP pump.