Solar powered irrigation pump has been installed in Karbala of Iraq

In the Karbala province of Iraq, an experimental solar-operated irrigation pump has been installed and the status is now operational, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture announced last week.
With the installation of the new pump, the ministry hopes to encourage and popularize the use of solar panels as an alternative and renewable energy source on a larger scale.
Energy is an essential element in sustaining the various activities of the agricultural sector, Deputy Agriculture Minister Mahdi al-Qaisi.
He added, "Shortage and fluctuation of electricity supplies and the rise of fuel prices are considered foremost among the problems directly affecting agricultural processes."
He also said that the ministry has been trying to curtail Iraq's dependence on electricity and fuels and find new energy alternatives by focusing on natural resources.
Al-Qaisi also remarked, "In view of the many sunny days in our country, the sun can be considered a rich source of energy from which we should benefit."
"Recently, we started to use the technology of solar panels in an experimental and guiding way by installing the first water pump to operate on solar energy at a farm in the city of Karbala in a bid to familiarize farmers with the importance of this technology and encourage them to use it," he said.
The 5 horsepower pump is of German manufacture, he said. It consists of 24 solar cells and was installed over a 24-metre deep water well, he added, noting that it is operated by remote control and easy to use.
Al-Qaisi also said that many farmers are willing to use this type of technology, which is characterized by its long life and its ability to meet agricultural needs for energy at a high capacity. The ministry will work on "promoting the use of this technology for various agricultural applications, such as using [this pump] in greenhouses, introducing it to activities related to transformative food industries or in operating refrigerators used to store vaccines and veterinary medications", he said.
Al-Qaisi stressed the need to involve the private sector in meeting local market requirements for solar-powered systems and said the ministry is trying, as part of its Agricultural Initiative loans, to "support farmers with enough funds to buy, install and operate these systems".
Education for the farmers
Iraq's agricultural guidance and training directorate is "concerned with increasing farmers' awareness on how to use the latest technological tools which can help in increasing agricultural production", its deputy general director Faisal Kazem al-Saedy.
He added, "In this respect, we have several farms scattered throughout the provinces which are used for the purpose of guidance and instruction."
"As part of our work, we are now working on enhancing agricultural awareness on the importance of cultivating natural energies as an alternative to electricity and fuel and increasing the extent of their usage, particularly in remote agricultural areas where there are no electricity lines, and where it is difficult to transport fuels," he added.
The directorate is initially focusing on encouraging farmers to use water pumps that operate on solar and/or wind energy, he said, noting that it hopes to introduce these renewable energies in agricultural fields such as water treatment, veterinary medicine and food production. Solar panel technology provides clean, environment-friendly energy which does not produce any pollutants or gas emissions, al-Saedy said, adding that on top of its operational efficiency, it saves farmers money which otherwise would go to buy fuel or generate electrical power.
Iraqi MP Itab al-Douri, who serves on the parliamentary agriculture and water committee, commended the government's efforts to encourage farmers to use solar energy. "Our country is considered one of the countries with an exceptionally high number of sunny days, which is one of the most important sustainable sources for energy that can be benefitted from, not only in the agricultural sector, but in other vital sectors as well," she told.
"The agriculture committee supports any effort or policy that will help introduce solar energy systems into agricultural activities and processes, to make them available to the farmers at reasonable, subsidized prices, in addition to benefitting from international expertise to ensure the successful application of plans and experiments in this field," she said.