Finca Prat de Boldú - Design of direct solar pumping against the grid
The Ivars Cooperative currently manages the Prat de Boldú estate, owned by Government of Catalonia, which offers the management of the estate by tender every ten years. After having tested various irrigation systems, the Ivars Cooperative promoted a project in which it proposed the establishment of drip irrigation with the novelty of solar pumping for a plot of six hectares out of the hundred that make up the estate.
The Ivars Cooperative currently manages the Prat de Boldú estate, owned by Government of Catalonia, which offers the management of the estate by tender every ten years. After having tested various irrigation systems, the Ivars Cooperative submitted a project to the tender in which it proposed the establishment of drip irrigation with the novelty of solar pumping for a plot of six hectares out of the hundred that make up the estate.
The director general of rural development stated in the technical dossier Training and advice to the agri-food sector of Government of Catalonia that in the Catalan territory, where solar energy is a first-rate renewable resource, there is an obligation to make every effort to develop and apply technology that allows it to be used. This proposal is in line with what is established by the European Commission in the Clean Energy for All Europeans strategy, presented in 2016 and based on renewable energies and energy efficiency, and the bases of the energy transition approved by the Government in January 2017, which establish a new energy model based on 100% renewable energies by 2050.
- Improve the energy and economic efficiency of the farm and agricultural production.
- To serve as a reference as an innovative entity in the irrigation system and to be able to serve as an example for other agricultural operations.
Despite the difficulties and obstacles mentioned above, this irrigation system based on the use of solar energy is considered ideal for the farm it is located in. The organizational "cost" that solar dependence requires is offset by the reduced economic cost it implies.
It is important to know that in order to implement an irrigation system like this, a pump-to-mains system, you must have easy access to water or work with a reserve pond.
In order to carry out this project, an exhaustive study was carried out to assess which of all the possible options best suited the needs, and this has been a key factor in understanding the success of the irrigation system based on renewable energy.
The new irrigation system has had an approximate cost of 47,900 euros for the photovoltaic energy part and 28,600 euros for the irrigation installation part.
The source of the economic resources for the start-up is the Ivars Cooperative.
The approximate annual cost of the project is around 2,500 euros, which is dedicated to the renovation of the irrigation pipes.
The source of annual financial resources is the Ivars Cooperative.
