Track: Energy

Abstract

An increasing global and African population growth has brought with it social ills and food insecurity. Because of these social problems, it has also become increasingly critical for farmers to innovate how they conduct farming activities in a way that allows them to produce more and better yields. A common problem related to farming in Namibia is inconsistent irrigation water supply. The paper explores the use of solar powered irrigation systems on a 5 hectare land on farm Lynkloof in Namibia. The irrigation uses solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies for pumping water for irrigation. Crops will be put under cultivation and water will be supplied by two irrigation systems; drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. The paper will analyze the performance characteristics of solar irrigation systems in supplying water to 5 hectares of soy beans.