Economic analysis of photovoltaic energy in irrigating lettuce crops

Abstract

Irrigated agriculture is extremely important for Brazil and this technology has increasingly spread among small producers in the country. Irrigation systems located in olive groves add high rates of productivity to plants, especially hardwood vegetables. However, it is necessary to invest in sustainable technologies which reduce energy costs in localized irrigation. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the technical and economic viability of photovoltaic energy through simulating a drip irrigation system for lettuce crops. Tests were carried out on a hydraulic bench with drip irrigation simulations and set performance curves of the set were compared with the energy from the conventional system (electric grid) and photovoltaic energy. To do so, a direct current electric motor pump and an alternating current electric motor pump were used. The results showed that the use of irrigation for the lettuce crop promoted by photovoltaic energy reduced energy costs by 83.80% when compared to conventional energy.