The Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) will soon launch a new effort to promote research on the use of solar energy in irrigation to boost farming, especially in drought-prone areas of Eastern Province.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) will soon launch a new effort to promote research on the use of solar energy in irrigation to boost farming, especially in drought-prone areas of Eastern Province.
Speaking to The NewTimes, yesterday, Innocent Nzeyimana, the head of land husbandry, irrigation, and mechanisation department at Rwanda Agriculture Board, said the move would be applicable to small scale irrigation technology that was introduced in the country last year.
The new effort that targets pushing forth with trials of new technology comes on the heel of a potential fresh breakthrough effort by a fresh graduate of the University of Rwanda who has invented a solar-powered irrigation technology.
Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) says it wants to pilot Jean claude Manirafasha’s project to assess its viability.
The fresh graduate of Electrical Engineering from the College of Science and Technology conducted a research project on using solar energy for irrigation in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province, a project that was later showcased during the Research and Innovation Week for Science and Technology last month.
"The project is commendable and can approach Rwanda Agriculture Board, National Industrial Research and Development Agency, Rwanda Environment Management Authority as well as the national Climate and Environment Fund (Fonerwa) so that it gets developed further and also gets funding,” Nzeyimana said.
The innovation project to turn the sun into solutions for farmers was given a trial around Ruvomo wetland between Nzige and Nyakariro sectors and RAB is convinced the project is worth pushing forth with.
"With support and further development of the model from partners, Manirafasha’s project would be a big boost to irrigation farming in the country,” Nzeyimana said.
Manirafasha’s project would be the third in the same field of farming after two previous small trials whose trials are being conducted.
Tapping the sunlight
Speaking to The New Times, Manirafasha explained how the sun will provide energy to water crops.
"The solar energy is used to power a turbine that runs and operates pumping mechanisms to extract water under high pressure from a source, in this case, Ruvomo wetland, to for irrigating fields in nearby dry areas,” Manirafasha said.
The fields, Manirafasha said, will have automatic sensors that denote when the soils are too dry and in need of moisture. The sensor then automatically triggers water to sprinkle over the field.
He said the project still needs the assembling of further components and materials, including 69 solar panels, three pumps, 30 batteries and one converter as well as three water tanks to be used on over 40 hectares of land.
Responding to the innovation, University of Rwanda officials called for joint efforts of lecturers and students to boost research that impacts on people’s lives.
Nzeyimana said Manirafasha will need further improvements on its design and operation in order to serve its purpose.
"We are considering extending the project across the country on small-scale areas and, hopefully, after further research, we can be able to use this innovation on expansive fields,” he said.
Can it be funded?
In Kirehe District, Nzeyimana added, another project being funded by the Buffett Foundation started preparatory activities a few days ago in Nasho Sector on 1,300 hectares of land.
The project, which is designing the irrigated areas and roads, is expected to produce two megawatts of electricity to be used in irrigation.
The energy produced would also serve locals around the area during the rainy season when irrigation is not required.
Nzeyimana said government was considering extending subsidies to small scale farmers who adopt irrigation technology so as to increase acreage of irrigated areas by engaging more sponsors.
Farmers in the countryside mainly use fuel energy pumps for running irrigation but Nzeyimana said solar energy sources would be a cheaper alternative after some time using it since its operational cost is zero.
However, he says, grid or other energy can still always intervene as solar power is not yet efficient or enough.
According to Alex Mulisa, the coordinator of climate finance at Fonerwa, financing such projects also goes as sponsorship or line of credit to individuals as well as private investors since the private sector’s role is highlighted under the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
Among 29 project proposals that FONERWA has received, worth more than Rwf30 billion in funding in three years, about nine are from the private sector, including some in agriculture, but none of the proposals is in line with solar energy in irrigation, Mulisa said.
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Sun-water: Getting water from thin air
A solar-powered pump is a pump running on electricity generated by photovoltaic panels or the thermal energy available from collected sunlight as opposed to grid electricity or diesel run water pumps. The operation of solar powered pumps is more economical mainly due to the lower operation and maintenance costs and has less environmental impact than pumps powered by an internal combustion engine.
Solar powered irrigation pumps make agriculture possible in areas that previously could not be farmed. Drip irrigation, sprinklers, micro-emitters, flood irrigation, even center-pivot irrigation systems can be powered without fuel, and without a connection to an electrical grid.