Millions of people around the world live with limited access to water. In many communities, ground water is extracted by electric water pumps that use diesel to fuel their systems. However, these systems not only require costly, regular servicing and the purchasing of fuel, they emit carbon dioxide polluting the atmosphere. 

Erratic rainfall also poses a huge challenge for farmers who need a consistent water supply as many farmers want to plant crops throughout the year.

These are the times when you need extra help and equipment like water pumps to assist you. But water pumps need power and since Zambia is heavi-ly dependent on Zesco and hydro-electric power, which is not always available, for peace of mind it is wise to find alternatives for a more consistent water supply. Solar water pumping, or photovoltaic water pumping (PVP), provides an alternative. After years of research and technological advances, it has proven to be operationally, financially, and environmentally sustainable. In recent years, the cost of solar technology has dropped tremendously. 

Water pumping is one of the simplest and most appropriate uses for photovoltaic power. From crop irrigation to stock watering to domestic uses, photovoltaic powered pumping systems meet a broad range of water needs. Most of these systems have the added advantage of storing water for use when the sun is not shining, eliminating the need for batteries, enhancing simplicity and reducing overall system costs. Prices of the solar panels used in these systems have dropped significantly. In addition, these panels last around 25 years, requiring little maintenance throughout this time.

You can’t go wrong when investing in quality water pumps and solar power systems from a respectable and renowned supplier. Green Energy is a leading Zambian company that offers anything pertaining to water pumping as well as solar power, batteries and systems needed to go off the grid. They source their products from countries renowned for manufacturing equipment of high standards, such as Italy, Germany, Canada and the United States.

Their quality equipment comes with full back-up and service plans and will last much longer than the cheaper varieties, which means that you will save money in the long run. They believe foresight is the key to succes.

Green Energy’s main focus is on the farming community and medium to large-scale farmers are their biggest market. They are making good headway and push hard to inform the farmers about solar systems for pumps.

The team at Green Energy realised that not many people know that solar panel and battery prices have dropped significantly. Now it is actually affordable. They have a system for less than $1 000, which pumps up to 8 000 litres a day, which is more than enough for 99% of medium-scale farmers.

The initial capital lay-out for pumps and solar systems are relatively huge, but a farmer will recover it in no time if compared to the huge cost of diesel, for instance, or if compared to the benefit of having a consistent supply of water all year round. The payback period is very short and after that, the farmer’s electricity/water use is virtually free of charge.

Green Energy offers various solutions for small, medium and large-scale farmers. They have found that there is a very large number of farmers that require water during the day only and have larger 3-phase pumps. Green Energy offers the Grundfos RSI pump inverter range that can power up to 37 kW pumps. This is a direct Solar-to-Pump system that’s more affordable for farmers as there is no need for costly battery backup.

You can send an e-mail to greenenergy.zm@gmail.com  with your contact details and full requirements to become an independent farmer.