A photovoltaic oasis in the desert
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- JanforGore
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In the harsh, isolated, semi-desert region north of Cairo in Egypt, 150 acres has been planted with beans, peas and orange trees. But there is a problem: an endless need for water.
Farmer Tantawi Mostafa explains: “Each plant needs a certain amount of water, depending on the season. Peas, for instance, need a lot of water, I have to irrigate them at least five hours a day. Oranges and grapes need less water during the winter season. But in any case, I never need less than 4,000 cubic metres of water per day.”
They used to rely on old diesel pumps to bring the water to the surface. But local scientists have come up with different solutions to answer a whole range of problems.
Fuad Ahmed Abulfotuh, an electrical engineer at the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said: “In Egypt these diesel pumps are widespread. And we want this to change. These diesel machines have many inherent problems; they are very noisy, and very polluting. They release lots of toxic gases into the atmosphere. Also, they are quite expensive to use and maintain. You need to buy diesel, pass technical controls, change the motor oil, and buy spare parts. All this comes at a huge cost to farmers.”
So how can water be pumped to the surface in a green, cheap way in these isolated regions? Researchers from NACIR, (New Applications for Photovoltaic Concentrators) are looking at the sun for answers.
Gabriel Sala, the coordinator of the NACIR project took euronews to an experimental station where she explained: “We are testing the use of renewable energies to pump water and to provide irrigation in semi-desert regions.”
The experimental station is well off the beaten track. And these are not ordinary photovoltaic panels. They use a brand new generation of photovoltaic cells built in Germany as part of an EU research project.
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aaron1972
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Green technology can't get here fast enough...
- 1 year ago
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aaron1972
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PressCore
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The Dutch use wind power to pump water. Their particular need
involves redirecting water already on the surface. But the principle
is still the same. In NYC, there's a memorial windmill the Dutch
explorers built circa 1600. It's not the usual vertical windmill. It's
a horizontaly configured one. On it are sails you might see on a
racing sloop's foremast. The sails catch the wind currents, turn
the circular base to rotate it, and create kinetic energy which can
be converted into electrical energy. Electrical energy from solar
radiation or wind currents is a clean, non poluting energy source. - 1 year ago
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PressCore
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JanforGore
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Looking at the video the way they are doing this looks good, only using it for sprinkler irrigation still wastes massive amounts of water. I would hope this could also be used with drip irrigation systems. At least this replaces the polluting toxic diesel engines they were using which saves money and health.
- 1 year ago
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JanforGore
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treewolf39
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JanforGore:
You make a really good point. A shallow planting bed similar to the water storage pond would be a way to keep the water at the surface. Perhaps high green houses to trap the moister from evaporation, as well. There are so many steps involved including desalination that it is a shame to see the water used so wastefully.
- 1 year ago
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treewolf39
