Solar Power Energizes Farmer's Irrigation System

Powering Center-Pivot Irrigation System with Solar Energy

Dolf Ivener turned to sunshine to water his corn field this growing season.

Ivener became the first Siouxland farmer to power a center-pivot irrigation system with solar energy. It's also one of the first of its kind nationally.

He designed a photovoltaic system based on the average 4.3 hours of daily sunlight the Sioux City region receives each season.

An array of 22 solar panels, measuring three feet by six feet, produce around 300 watts each, or 11,000 kilowatts to 12,000 kilowatts per year, enough power to pump water through the system's pipes and propel its wheels around the field four times. That's the average number of trips in a typical year for irrigated farmland like Ivener's 160-acre tract southeast of Whiting.

Weather wise, this year was anything but normal, however, the Sioux City Journal reported. On three different occasions, heavy rains flooded the Missouri River bottom land. The stubborn, wet conditions slowed the installation of the solar system, as well as the growth of the corn plants.

"You can see it's not as tall," Ivener said, pointing to the corn plants, some with yellowed leaves, as he drove his pickup down a dirt path to the center pivot.

With the Monona County field finally drying up, Ivener turned on the center pivot for the first time. But it was only to feed a late season application of fertilizer through the sprinkler heads.

But it's possible the system won't be used for irrigation at all this season if precipitation is in the forecast, he said.

"As much rain as we've had and as cool as it's been, I wouldn't be surprised if this year the pivot runs for even a day," he said.

Still, Ivener views the technology as a sound, long-term investment.

It cost $23,000, but a 30 percent federal tax credit and a 18 percent state tax credit is covering nearly half the costs. The credits, claimed through filing income tax returns, are designed to encourage solar power.

If everything works right, the payback on the solar system would be 10 years, he said.

Ivener estimates it would cost $50,000 to $60,000 to run traditional power lines to the center pivot.

Before installing the solar system, Ivener worked out a 10-year deal with Western Iowa Power Cooperative, or WIPCO, a rural electric coop that serves Monona and other eight counties. The coop installed a bidirectional electric meter in the field. It measures how much power the solar panels produce, as well as how much excess electricity the array feeds back to the coop.

Source: TH Media

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Taxonomy

• Agriculture
• Irrigation
• Solar Energy

1 Comment

1. Traditional dam-canal gravity irrigation system is very common in India and many other Nations. Moving along the main canal and minors in command area of a medium irrigation project, in summer month; was not comfortable because of high temperature. 2. The canal was full of flowing water and one of it's side lands were irrigated through gravity. 3. However the farmers owning lands on opposite side were not getting water, they were blaing their destiny , as usual. Some of the tried to lift water by tractor operated pump. Of course the number was much limited. 4 Few of the tried to have the traditional power line, along the canal, from the Electricity Distribution Company' but could not be successful. 5. Can we think of erection of SOLAR PANELS COVERING THE MAIN CANAL/INORS for generating electricity power to be used for running small size pumps owned by the respective farmers for irrigating the crops, at least for 6-8 months. 6. Moreover, the evaporation losses from canal water can be drastically reduced due to solar panel cover shade and the oasis effect of irrigated cro on both sides of the canal. 7. In case, the regulations to use water with micro irrigation systems are enacted, the area under irrigation can be increased by more than 100 per cent. We will be compelled to adopt such strategies for water and energy SAVING AND USE in view of the CLIMATE CHANGE/VARIATION AND THE RISING POPULATION AND THEIR NEEDS TO ACHIEVE QUALITY LIFE STYLE.