If you own a farm and use it to produce agricultural products for the market, then you need a plan that is cost effective to reap the benefits of farming. One cost effective way of growing farm produce is through irrigation. However, with many types of irrigation pumps in the market, choosing any kind will not help you to achieve your goal. Therefore, making a strategic choice on which type is best for you is critical. Solar irrigation pumps offer many advantages with the most important ones being time-saving, energy efficiency, and increased production. Nonetheless, you need to know how to use solar irrigation pumps to reap maximum benefits. This article provides tips you can employ to get the most out of your irrigation pump.
Right Site -- Placing your solar irrigation pump strategically is something you have to think about carefully. Your choice of site will determine the amount of water that farm plants get. You should place the irrigation pump's solar array in a location that is free from shade for the entire duration that you will be watering plants. Since Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, one way to ensure that the solar arrays get as much sunlight as possible during the day is by making the panels to face the true North. However, if you find it challenging to locate the true North, you can invest in sun-tracking solar arrays for your pump. These have sensors that detect the movement of the sun and change the direction accordingly. The advantage of a sun-tracking module is that it gives you 20% more power on a sunny day compared to a fixed panel module.
Green Energy Rebates -- With governments investing millions of dollars in green energy, there are ingenious ways of attracting citizens to green energy. For this reason, the Australian government developed a program termed as The Renewable Energy Water Pumping scheme, which promises rebates to citizens who use renewable energy in place of fossil-based fuel. You can take advantage of such a plan and get refunds of up to 30% of the cost of your solar irrigation pump. Money saved can be used to improve farm outputs.
Upgrade -- The components of a solar irrigation pump are modular which means that they can easily be replaced whenever an updated version of the part is available. For instance, in case the weatherman predicts a prolonged overcast, you can increase the surface area of the solar panels by buying additional arrays. It would ensure that you trap and store as much solar energy as possible in readiness for the overcast. On the other hand, if you need to pump more water from the river or lake for an extended period, you can replace the batteries with higher capacity ones.
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