International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN (P): 2250-0057; ISSN (E): 2321-0087
Vol. 8, Issue 1, Feb 2018, 91-104
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

ESTIMATION OF SOLAR PANEL POWER FOR IRRIGATED CROPS IN

NORTHERN GANGETIC PLAINS

RAKESH KUMAR & SANJAY KUMAR

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar, India
ABSTRACT

The irrigation requirement for different crops varies from climatic conditions and soil types. The energy
required for irrigation was met by either electricity or diesel fuel, but it is highly costly, and it is not eco-friendly sources of
energy. The solar energy is cheaper sources of energy which is ultimately pollution free. The average annual normal solar
irradiance of Bihar is 4.37 kWh/m2/day. The capacity of pump required to irrigate 1 ha of the field in the region of Pusa is
1 hp. The total power of the system calculated for 1.5 m2, 0.75 performance ratio and panel yield 15% is 0.2 kW. For 1 ha
field to irrigate, it requires four solar plates of 1.5 m2.

The maximum solar panel power requirement estimated was 99.51 kW and 173.05 kW considering rainfall and
without rainfall for 70 acres (28.35 ha). The carbon dioxide emissions mitigation will be 2829 tonnes by this installation
and will be equivalent to planting 4,526 teak trees over the lifetime (data from IISc) for 99.51 kW. As well as, carbon

Original Article
dioxide emissions mitigation will be 4894.17 tonnes for this installation will be equivalent to planting 7,831 teak trees over
the lifetime (data from IISc) for 173.05 kW. The break-even point (in years) for 70 acres (28.35 ha ) field with electricity
and diesel pump was 6.92 and 8.60 years using a pump of 32.82 hp. Moreover, for 1 ha field by electricity, and diesel
pump was 6.92 and 8.60 years using a pump of 0.8775 hp up to a depth of 22m.

Thus, it will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly
import-independent resources, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and
keep fossil fuel prices lower than other. These advantages are globally introduced and acceptable.

KEYWORDS: Solar Power, Irrigation, Crops, Gangetic Plains & Renewable Energy

Received: Nov 24, 2017; Accepted: Dec 15, 2017; Published: Jan 30, 2018; Paper Id.: IJASRFEB201814

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is the crucial and backbone of Indian economy, and the primary input to biotic community.
India is a prime agricultural country where about 54.6% (census 2010-11) of country’s population based on
agriculture, having a significant role in the socio-economic dignity. As per Economic Survey, agriculture is
accounted for 17.4% of the GDP of the Indian economy in 2015-16. Several types of agricultural operations can be
performed either by tractive work like seed-bed preparation, tillage, cultivation, harvesting, and transportation or by
stationary work such as silage cutting, feed grinding, threshing, winnowing and irrigation water lifting. The pattern
of energy consumption in agriculture has been changed substantially, with a major shifted from human and animal
power to mechanical power like oil engines and tractors, and moving closer towards electrical power and renewable
energy like solar energy, biogas, biomass and wind energy.

The use of energy in agricultural operations helps to improve the knowledge for farmers on how to

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92 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

improve efficiencies and encourage to deploy renewable energy to improve the sustainability of agriculture. In India, the
utility electricity sector had an as installed capacity of 304.761 GW (MNRE, 2016). Renewable power plants constituted
28% of total installed capacity. Renewable energy sector landscape in India has, during the last few years, witnessed a
tremendous change in the policy to accelerate the plans to increase the contribution of solar energy. Solar energy has a
prime role to play in energy security, helping achieve a clean energy mix in the country.

As far as agriculture is concerned, water is prime, natural, indispensable, finite and vulnerable resource. It is one
of the most critical inputs, adequate and timely supply of which is necessary throughout the crop growing period. Water is
supplied either by rainfall or through irrigation. Due to the inadequate and uneven distribution of rainfall during the growth
period of crops, it becomes necessary to apply additional water to the soil in the form of irrigation for plant use. Irrigation
consumes a significant amount of water and energy. Available irrigation water has to be utilized in a manner that matches
the water needs of the crop. Supply of water above or below this is wasteful and quite injurious to agricultural productivity.
The growth of agriculture has been possible because of timely and adequate supply of water as result ground water
irrigation started assuming greater importance as compared to canal irrigation. Farmers have better control over water
availability with groundwater irrigation in which water has to pump out which consume electrical energy.

Crops need water in significant quantities for their optimum growth. Excessive or deficit amounts of water could
crimp down the growth of crop and climatically lower the crop’s yields. The various conditions influencing the rate of
water use by crops include the type of crop, stage of growth, climatic parameters like temperature, wind velocity, humidity,
sunshine, and so on, available water supply and soil characteristics and irrigation always associated with energy. Hence
knowledge of water requirement of different crops and energy consumption to meet water requirement and scheduling is
necessary for planning the farm irrigation system, in the design of irrigation projects and water resource development.
During a recent year, Indian agriculture has experienced phenomenal growth in mechanization, and the energy needs have
increased many times. A very conservative estimate reveals the requirement of about 68 billion kWh of electricity for
Indian agriculture by the year 2020 (Panesar, 2000).

Electricity in the agricultural sector is used in pumping water for irrigating the land for operating farm machines
and so on. The share of total electricity consumption by the agriculture sector increased from 81,673 GWh in 2001-02
(accounting for nearly 25% of the total electricity consumption in that year) to 133,660 GWh in 2011-12 (17.3% of the
total consumption of electricity during that year) (CEA, 2013). Electrical energy consumption in agriculture was recorded
highest 18.45% in 2014-15 (MNRE, 2016). The increased energy use in agriculture sector is directly associated with
increased utilization of groundwater by irrigation pumping sets. The number of electrical pump sets has heightened faster,
because of concerted efforts in rural electrification to promote groundwater utilization. The number of irrigation pumps (in
000’s) varies from 12,900 in 1990 to 28,000 in 2013 (CSAM-UNESCAP Regional meeting). Both, directly and indirectly,
energy is used for irrigation. Electrical energy is directly used for pumping water from the tube well and pressuring an
irrigation application system like a sprinkler, drip irrigation and so on. While, indirect energy is used to support on-farm
irrigation application as well as used in the manufacture of irrigation equipment's, drilling of tube wells, leveling of fields
and making and removing border ridges and furrows.

Irrigation is energy intensive operation. The energy requirement per hectare of irrigated land varies with the depth
of pumped water, the type of irrigation system and the amount of water needed for crop growth (Khan et al., 2007). The
energy needed to operate irrigation equipment is about five times that required for its manufacture (Stout, 1979). The

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Estimation of Solar Panel Power for Irrigated Crops in Northern Gangetic Plains 93

change in the cropping pattern in northern region has led to a sharp increase in the use of electricity during June to October
to meet the irrigation demand of rice crop (Murthy and Raju, 2009). The consumption of electricity in the agriculture
sector during these 4 to 5 months is as high as 60 percent of the total consumption during the whole year (Sindhy et al.,
1987).

Energy resources are limited and sustainable agriculture will require increased use of energy resources. For sustainable
agricultural development, irrigation ought to be planned and managed in such a way as to conserve both water and
electricity. So the prediction of energy consumption with knowledge of water requirement is necessary for efficient
utilization of water resources and energy which is critical to maximizing production and sustainability in agriculture. Since
most of the farm operation is time-bound; any disturbances to the supply of energy for these operations affect the
agricultural production. The increasing food demand created by the ever-increasing human population and uncertainty
about energy availability further aggravate the problem of matching demand and supply. The agriculture sector occupies a
significant position in the Indian economy as it provides livelihood and employment to over 58% of the population and
contributes to around 14% of gross domestic product (MoA, 2016). Therefore, to avoid any adverse effect on the national
economy, proper planning of energy requirements in the agricultural sector is very essential. These days mostly irrigation
is carried out through either diesel pump set or electrical pump. Electricity obtained through fossil fuels as well as energy
obtained from diesel engine increase the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which causes threats to the environment and
resulting in climate change which adversely affects the change in the rainfall pattern which ultimately reduces the
production and productivity. The environmental and socio-economic problems can be significantly mitigated through the
adoption of solar energy which is the cleanest form of energy and eco-friendly to the climate (Asaad M. Armanuos et al.,
2016). Moreover, photovoltaic (PV) pumping system include low operating cost, unattended operation, low maintenance,
easy installation, and long life and these are all important in remote locations where electricity may be unavailable (Aligah,
2011; Shinde et al., 2015).

METHODOLOGY
Description of the Study Area
The study was carried out for Pusa, located in the Samastipur district of north Bihar. Its latitude is 25.980 N;
longitude is 85.670 E, and about 52 m above mean sea level. Climate is sub-humid and sub-tropical with reasonably good
rainfall during monsoon. According to meteorological data recorded at Agro meteorological Observatory, Pusa (Bihar),
average maximum and minimum temperature were 26.8°C and 17.0°C respectively. Daily sunshine hours, Average wind
speed and average daily evaporation were 4.0 hours, 1.2 km/hr, and 1.3 mm respectively as well as the average relative
humidity was 89 percent at 0700 hrs and 52 percent at 1400 hrs. Soil temperature at 5 cm depth was 16.5°C at 0700 hrsand
22.8oC at 1400 hrs.

Application of CROPWAT 8.0

According to Smith & Kivumbi (2002), CROPWAT is a computer program for irrigation planning and
management which was developed by the Land and Water Development Division, FAO (FAO, 1992). Its primary
functions include the calculation of reference evapotranspiration, crop water requirements, and crop and scheme irrigation.
CROPWAT is a practical tool to assist agro-meteorologists, agronomists and irrigation engineers to hold out the standard
calculation of evapotranspiration and crop water use studies, and a lot of especially the planning and management of
irrigation schemes (Sandhu, 2003). The computerized program can easily access databases for climate and crop

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94 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

characteristics to allow for speedy determination of irrigation water requirements. Input required in this software includes
three types of data: to figure out irrigation scheduling, demands meteorological data, crop data and soil data in the
program. FAO recommended using CROPWAT software to better estimation of CWR under various scenarios of climatic
changes (FAO, 2009). It has been widely used in assessing CWR and scheduling crops (Smith, 1991; Smith &Kivumbi,
2006). It follows the FAO approved Penman-Monteith method better to predict ETo, ETc and irrigation water requirement
(FAO, 1998; Smith, 1991; Kang et al., 2009).

Equations Used in Calculation of Energy Requirement

• Irrigation Water Requirements

From the original Penman-Monteith equation and the equations of the aerodynamic and surface resistance, the
FAO Penman-Monteith method to estimate ETois expressed as:

ETO = (1)

Crop evapotranspiration can be determined from climatic data and by integrating the crop resistance directly,
reflective power and air resistance factors in the FAO Penman-Monteith approach. As there is still a substantial lack of
information for various crops, the Penman-Monteith method is employed for the estimation of the standard Reference crop
to calculated its evapotranspiration rate, i.e., Reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Experimentally determined ratios of
ETc/ETo referred to as Crop coefficient (Kc), are used to relate Crop evapotranspiration beneath standard conditions (ETc)
to ETo. This method is popular as the crop coefficient approach (Allen et al., 2006; Tyagi et al., 2000; Kingra et al. 2004;
Karetal, 2007) which is depends mainly on weather variables i.e., temp., relative humidity, wind speed, sunshine hours,
rainfall etc. (Sentelhas et al., 2010).

ETc = Kc * ETo (2)

Albedo, air temperature, humidity and wind speed are all integrated for the ETo estimation. Therefore, ETo
corresponds to climatic demand index, while Kc value varies primarily with the distinct crop nature and only to a certain
measure with climatical conditions and soil evaporation, enables the transfer of standard Kc values between locations and
between climates. TheKc in the equation above allows ETc prediction. The ETc predicted by Kc is adjusted if necessary to
non-standard conditions through the Crop evapotranspiration under nonstandard conditions (ETcadj) where any
environmental condition or characteristic is known to have an impact on or to limit ETc.

The crop coefficient values, Kc helps in the estimation of CWR, ETo, ETc at different growth stage and eventually,
Kc values has been explored relatively in India for irrigation water management of a location ( Tyagi et al., 2000; Tripathi,
2004; Kingra et al., 2004; Kar et al., 2007). Since Kc values vary with location, native climate, topographic conditions,
water table situations and management practices (Doorenbos & Kassam, 1979; Allen et al., 2006), therefore several studies
across different agro-ecological regions of India have been conducted to derive growth stages basis Kc values of crops
using lysimeter and / or field water balance approach (Tyagi et al., 2000; Tripathi, 2004; Kingra et al., 2004; Kar et al.,
2007).

• Rainfall

The quantity of the rainfall to our field or location the option effective rainfall method for CWR calculations are

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Estimation of Solar Panel Power for Irrigated Crops in Northern Gangetic Plains 95

USDA Soil Conservation Service formula developed by USCS, where effective rainfall can be calculated according to
monthly step:

Peff = Pmonth * (125 - 0.2 * Pmonth) / 125 for Pmonth<= 250 mm (3)

Peff = 125 / 3 + 0.1 * Pmonth for Pmonth> 250 mm (4)

Rainfall not considered in irrigation calculations (Effective rainfall = 0): Choosing this option makes CROPWAT
ignore rainfall data during the calculations of irrigation requirements.

• Yield Reduction

Yield reduction due to soil moisture stress is represented as a percentage of the maximum production achievable
in the area under optimal conditions. It can be computedconcerning a single stage of crop cycle or the whole growing
season. Yield reduction is expressed applying the following equation:

( ) = Ky(1- ) (5)

This approach and calculation procedures for estimating yield response to water (FAO Irrigation & Drainage
Paper No. 33, Doorenbos and Kassam, 1979)

• Irrigator’s Equation

For the estimation of the amount of water applied to a field, the Irrigator’s Equation can be used to calculate the
volume of water applied. In the equation:

Q*t=d*A (6)

Where, Q is the flow rate, in Acre-mm/month; t is the total time of irrigation, month; d is the depth of water
applied, mm; and A is the area irrigated, acres.

Volume of water applied in field (m3) = flow rate (m3/sec) X total time of duration (sec)

Energy Requirements for Irrigation Operation

The amount of energy required to pump water for irrigation depends on the net amount of irrigation water to be
applied, i.e., the total dynamic head (depth of water table, drawdown friction losses in pipes and fittings, seasonal
fluctuation in the water table, delivery head requirements), and pump efficiency and efficiency of energy conversion of the
power unit. The amount of energy required to lift given amount of water by tube-well is

E = MgH / (3600 X 1000)

E = QρgH / (3600 X 1000) (7)

Where,

E = Energy input (kWh);

m = Mass of water pumped out (kg);

Q = volume of water pumped out (m3);

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96 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

Ρ = mass density of water (kg/m3);

g = acceleration due to gravity (ms-2) and H = total head (m).

E = (Q*1000*9.81*H) / (3600*1000)

E = 2.725 Q*H *10-3 (8)

Combining the pump, electric motor, application and conveyance efficiencies, the energy requirements for
irrigation operation becomes

Et = (2.725 Q* H*10-3 / Irrigation efficiency) (9)

Where, Et = Total energy requirements for irrigation operation

• Solar Power Requirements for Irrigation Operation

The solar panel power, P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to the energy E in kilowatt-hours (kWh) and divided by the
consumption period in hours.

P (kW) = E (kWh) / t (hr) (10)

Where t (hr) is in average sunshine hours over a month

• Cost Involvement in Solar Panel Installation System

The cost determination of solar power requirements for irrigation operation month wise, which is selected
according to the maximum power used in that particular month for a particular crop. MNRE (GoI), provides Solar Rooftop
Calculator in which input variables are installation capacity (kW), average electricity cost/kWh, the category of customer
(Residential, Institutional, Industrial and commercial), subsidy 30% based on MNRE scheme, debt-equity ratio (0:100,
optional), cost of solar plant Rs. 75,000 / kW (based on MNRE benchmark). It gives the cost of a plant with subsidy and
without subsidy, total electricity generation annually and lifetime (25years), tariff @ Rs.7.15 / kWh (for a top slab of
traffic). No increase assumed over 25 years (monthly, annually and lifetime-25years), carbon dioxide emissions mitigated
and how much its installation will be equivalent to planting (data from IISc). However, we are much interested in
installation cost of a plant with subsidy and without subsidy, Carbon dioxide emissions mitigated, and installation will be
equivalent to planting.

• Electricity Cost Estimation

The cost of electricity can be calculated by multiplying the electricity cost per kWh of total units consumed
(kWh). As per Electricity Department of DRPCAU, Pusa 1 unit (kWh) cost for irrigation is Rs 7.15. As per Indian
Petroleum, 1-liter diesel fuel cost is Rs 62.40.

• Break Even Point Analysis

The break-even point (BEP) in economics, business, and individually cost accounting, is the point at which there
is no net loss or gain. Total profit at the break-even point is zero.

Here, Break-even point (in years) = (Total installation cost)/(Consumption cost per year)

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.9857 NAAS Rating: 4.13

Estimation of Solar Panel Power for Irrigated Crops in Northern Gangetic Plains 97

RESULTS
Irrigation Water Requirements

The amount of irrigation water required to fulfill the irrigation water requirements of the crop estimated by using
FAO Penman-Monteith method. The estimates for the components of this equation presented and discussed in the
following sections. The average monthly irrigation requirements (000’ m3) in different crops from 2010-11 to 2015-16)
determined by calculating the average of monthly irrigation requirements year wise year shown below in Figure 1 and
Figure 2. The volume of water required in 70 acre area was maximum in rice crops followed by maize (Kharif) in both
cases of irrigation considering rainfall and without rainfall.

Figure 1: Month-wise Average Volume of Water Required (000’ m3) for

Irrigation Considering Rainfall From 2010-11 to 2015-16

Figure 2: Month-wise Average Volume of Water Required (000’ m3) for

Irrigation Considering No Rainfall From 2010-11 to 2015-16

Electricity Requirement for Irrigation Operation

Based upon climatological parameters for the year 2010-11 to 2015-16. The electricity required for irrigation for
Pusa form was calculated. The results are presented in Figure 3 and Figure 4 considering rainfall and no rainfall maximum
electricity requirement in irrigation for Pusa farm were 15200.31 and 26434.57 kWh respectively for irrigated crops of 70
acres land. This difference might be due to varying crops, maximum and minimum temperature, RH, wind speed, rainfall
and sunshine hours.

Figure 3 and Figure 4 also show that electricity requirement in June was much higher than other months July,
August, September, and October in the case of Rice considering rainfall and no rainfall. The electricity requirement in

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98 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

January was much higher than other months November, December, February, and March in case of Wheat considering
rainfall and no rainfall. The electricity requirement in August was much higher than other months July, September,
October, and November in case of maize (Kharif) considering rainfall and no rainfall. The electricity requirement in
December was much higher than other months October, November, January, February, and March in case of maize (Rabi)
considering rainfall and no rainfall. This is due to high water requirements of rice crop to meet its evapotranspiration. Also,
electricity requirements for irrigation during these four months were as high as 57 percent of the requirements during the
year.

Figure 3: Month-wise Estimation of Average Energy Requirements for Irrigation

Operation Considering Rainfall From 2010-11 to 2015-16 (in kWh)

Table
Month Rice Wheat Maize (Kharif) Maize (Rabi)
January 0 2701719.684 0 2239322.672
February 0 3923768.93 0 2442777.358
March 0 2898568.698 0 208739.2226
April 0 0 0 0
May 0 0 0 0
June 15200310.92 0 0 0
July 1930837.809 0 52845.3728 0
August 1552993.393 0 310466.5652 0
September 2841099.355 0 2884036.221 0
October 1417577.125 0 2549789.238 1085311.844
November 0 708788.5627 1337648.499 1123624.739
December 0 1446642.08 0 2099282.434

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Estimation of Solar Panel Power for Irrigated Crops in Northern Gangetic Plains 99

Figure 4: Month-wise Estimation of Average Energy Requirements for Irrigation Operation Considering No
Rainfall From 2010-11 to 2015-16 (in kWh)
Solar Power Requirements for Irrigation Operation

The solar panel power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to the energy E in kilowatt-hours (kWh), divided by the
consumption period in hours for irrigated crops of 70 acres.

Table 1: Month-wise Estimation of Average Solar Power Requirements for

Irrigation Operation Considering Rainfall from 2010-11 to 2015-16 (in 10-3 kW)
Month Rice Wheat Maize (Kharif) Maize (Rabi)
January 0.0 40025.47 0.0 33175.15
February 0.0 28640.64 0.0 17830.49
March 0.0 16103.15 0.0 1159.66
April 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
May 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
June 99511.04 0.0 0.0 0.0
July 14544.92 0.0 398.081 0.0
August 14412.93 0.0 2881.36 0.0
September 19661.59 0.0 19958.72 0.0
October 8710.151 0.0 15666.90 6668.58
November 0.0 5693.08 10744.16 9025.09
December 0.0 23618.64 0.0 34273.99

Table 2 Month-wise Estimation of Average Solar Power Requirements for Irrigation

Operation Considering No Rainfall From 2010-11 to 2015-16 (in 10-3 kW)
Month Rice Wheat Maize(Kharif) Maize(Rabi)
January 0.0 51573.16 0.0 44527.11
February 0.0 35448.79 0.0 16765.58
March 0.0 19183.54 0.0 896.95
April 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
May 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
June 173057.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
July 75302.17 0.0 10802.94 0.0
August 87115.17 0.0 58577.44 0.0
September 62207.6 0.0 54710.50 0.0
October 26739.27 0.0 37909.04 1339.39
November 0.0 5693.08 9762.59 20724.29
December 0.0 23737.27 0.0 60696.68

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100 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

Cost Involvement in Solar Panel Installation System

The cost determination for solar power requirements for irrigation operation month wise which is selected
according to the maximum power used in that particular months for a particular crop. The MNRE (GoI) provides Solar
Rooftop Calculator within which input variables are installation capacity (kW), average electricity cost (Rs/kWh), the
category of customer (Residential, Institutional, Industrial and commercial), Subsidy 30% based on MNRE scheme, the
debt-equity ratio (0 : 100, optional), cost of solar plant Rs 75,000 / kW (based on MNRE benchmark).

Table 3: Cost Estimation of Maximum Month Wise Solar Power

Requirements for Irrigation Operation Considering Rainfall
Institutional /
Price With Subsidy
Month Power (Wp) Commercial Price
30 % (In Rs.)
(In Rs.)
January 40.02 (Wheat) 3,000,000 2,100,000
February 28.64 (Wheat) 2,175,000 1,522,500
March 16.10 (Wheat) 1,200,000 840,000
April 0 0 0
May 0 0 0
June 99.51 (Rice) 7,500,000 5,250,000
July 14.54 (Rice) 1,125,000 787,500
August 14.41 (Rice) 1,125,000 787,500
September 19.95 (Maize Kharif) 1,500,000 1,050,000
October 15.66 (Maize Kharif) 1,200,000 840,000
November 10.74 (Maize Kharif) 825,000 577,500
December 34.27 (Maize Rabi) 2,625,000 1,837,500

Table 4: Cost Estimation of Maximum Month Wise Solar Power Requirements for
Irrigation Operation Considering Without Rainfall
Institutional/Commercial Price With Subsidy
Month Power (Wp)
Price (in Rs.) 30 %( in Rs.)
January 51.57 (Wheat) 3,900,000 2,730,000
February 35.44 (Wheat) 2,625,000 1,837,500
March 19.18 (Wheat) 1,425,000 997,500
April 0 0 0
May 0 0 0
June 173.05 (Rice) 12,975,000 9,082,500
July 75.30 (Rice) 5,625,000 3,937,500
August 87.11 (Rice) 6,525,000 4,567,500
September 62.20 (Rice) 4,725,000 3,307,500
October 37.90 (Maize Kharif) 2,850,000 1,995,000
November 20.72 (Maize Rabi) 1,575,000 1,102,500
December 60.69 (Maize Rabi) 4,575,000 3,202,500

It gives the cost of a plant with subsidy and without subsidy, total electricity generation annually and lifetime
(25years), tariff @ Rs.7.15 / kWh (for a top slab of traffic). Moreover, no increase assumed over 25 years (monthly,
annually and lifetime-25years), carbon dioxide emissions mitigated and how much its installation will be equivalent to the
planting of Teak trees (data from IISc). However, we are much interested in installation cost of a plant with thesubsidy,
and without subsidy, Carbon dioxide emissions mitigation, and installation will be equivalent to planting.

Break-even Point Analysis

The maximum average power calculated by taking the average of all maximum power through different crops in

Impact Factor (JCC): 5.9857 NAAS Rating: 4.13

Estimation of Solar Panel Power for Irrigated Crops in Northern Gangetic Plains 101

different months (taken from Table 3 & Table 4). The irrigation of different crops covering 70 Acres (28.35 ha) from a
single pump is not a right decision because it is not economically profitable. To establish solar power plant for 24.49kW
which is the average throughout years, it requires a large area for its establishment. The break-even point (in years) was
6.92 years for the cost of electricity @7.15 per unit of electricity. Moreover, break-even point (in years) was 8.60 years for
diesel fuel price @ Rs 62.40/Ltr.

Design of Solar PV Panel for 1 ha Field

The average solar power required for 1 ha was 0.877575kW. The annual average solar irradiance for Bihar is 4.37
kWh/m /day. Using the Global formula, E = A * r * H * PR. Taking total solar panel area = 1.5 m2, performance ratio =
2

0.75 and solar panel yield = 15%. The total power of the system is 0.2kWp. Thus, to install solar PV panel for irrigation of
1 ha area of the field, it requires four solar PV plate of 1.5 m2 area to be installed.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present study, information on rainfall, climatic parameters, cropping system, crop yields, water table depth
below ground surface, area cultivated under different crop were obtained from different departments and used to calculate
the electricity requirement for irrigation operation of Pusa farm. The development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean
solar energy technologies will have substantial longer-term benefits which would increase countries energy security
through replacing an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource. Moreover, finally enhance
sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than other
energy. These advantages are globally introduced and acceptable.

Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions could be drawn:

• The maximum and minimum groundwater required for irrigation operation of Pusa farm were 64212.20 m3 and
223.24 m3 respectively considering rainfall as well as 111670.20 m3 and 669.72 m3 respectively considering no
rainfall for 70 acres of land.

• The average energy and solar panel power requirements for irrigation was maximum in June in rice crop in
comparison to other crops in other months considering rainfall and without rainfall.

• The maximum solar panel power requirement estimated was 99.51 kW and 173.05 kW considering rainfall and
without rainfall for 70 acres of land.

• The estimated cost of solar panel installation system considering rainfall and without rainfall for maximum solar
panel power was Rs. 7,500,000 and Rs. 12,975,000 without subsidy for 70 acres of land.

• The Carbon dioxide emissions mitigation will be 2829 tonnes, and this installation will be equivalent to planting
4,526 Teak trees over the lifetime (Data from IISc) for 99.51 kW. As well as Carbon dioxide emissions mitigation
will be 4894.17 tonnes, and this installation will be equivalent to planting 7,831 Teak trees over the lifetime (Data
from IISc) for 173.05 kW.

• The break-even point (in years) for 70 acres (28.35 ha) field by electricity and diesel pump was 6.92 and 8.60
years by using a pump of 32.82 HP up to a depth of 22m.

• The break-even point (in years) for 1 ha field by electricity and diesel pump was 6.92 and 8.59 years by using a

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102 Rakesh Kumar & Sanjay Kumar

pump of 0.8775 HP up to a depth of 22m.

• For the 1 ha field to irrigate, it requires four solar plates of 1.5 m2.

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Impact Factor (JCC): 5.9857 NAAS Rating: 4.13

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