Photovoltaic powered irrigation system applied to familiar agriculture

Urban Farm DB summary

This paper analyzed the technical and financial feasibility of a stand-alone photovoltaic powered irrigation system applied to a familiar production unit in Brazil. The system was installed at the Center for Teaching and Research in Urban Agriculture (NEPAU) on the PICI campus of the Federal University of Ceará, occupying 134 m² with a 3534-liter water reservoir, a 12 VDC pump motor, and a 135 Wp photovoltaic module. Efficiencies for the photovoltaic module, pump, and global set were 8.4%, 42%, and 3.5% respectively, with an assumed service life of 25 years and capital return after 9.3 years.