India is predominantly agricultural land and it needs to produce tons of food to feed the millions of mouths it shelters. However, the irony of the fact is despite agriculture being a prominent occupation in India, Indian agriculture (in rural parts) still lacks a scientific approach and is left at the mercy of the vagaries of nature. Farmers still depend on rainwater for ploughing and harvesting the fields or use diesel-powered water pumps to water the land. They hardly earn anything from selling the produce after bearing the diesel costs. But much of this looks to change with the introduction of solar-powered water pumps in the country as the government has been kind enough to grant subsidies on these and in many cases even distribute them to the farmers free of cost for creating awareness about solar energy.
It is really surprising to see the intelligence of a farmer to convert solar panels into a trolley so that they could be easily moved in the vast agricultural lands and make the task of watering the fields easier. So let us see how it looks and works.
What is this?
A solar panel trolley is the brainchild of a farmer as they say “Necessity is the mother of all invention”. It is a collection of solar panels (12) mounted at an inclined angle on a trolley, more like “solar panels on wheels”. The main objective is to move it through the fields.
How does it work?
This water pump has the capacity to water 1 bigha of land in one hour. The panels are put on a trolley in such a way that they can be expanded or collapsed through a hand rotator and hence can be easily driven from point to point with the help of a tractor. The farmer has very smartly designed the trolley keeping in mind the flexibility to adjust the inclination angle depending upon the sun’s direction as well as installed a bed under the solar panels to rest at night or even in the day away from the sun.
Benefits
Lack of water and electricity in rural parts of India has led the farmer to design this solar trolley. The water pumps can be powered through these solar panels and can water the land. It can easily operate (draw water from approximately 10-15 feet depth) for seven hours once fully charged under the sun. The speed of water delivery is the fastest in the afternoons when the sun is at its peak. But it is not a problem as per the user.
This trolley can move to different lands and connect with the water pumps of different farmers to water their respective lands. Thus, the owner of the trolley can also help or earn money from it.
Moreover, at times when there is not much watering of fields required, then the solar panels can be taken home and used there for electricity generation or for commercial purposes like running atta-chakki.
The farmer claims to save around Rs. 20,000 per month and expects this to increase to Rs.30,000 during the summer season. Wow, what a wonderful initiative!
Components
About 10-12 solar panels, a BFD – 5 Hp 3-phase, and AC Motor 5 Hp are also used. A trolley to mount the panels is also required.
Price
The whole system will cost around Rs.4 to 5 lakhs.
Conclusion
A Solar trolley is a good idea to solve the challenges that a normal farmer faces while ploughing and harvesting the fields. It not only makes his task easier but also becomes an earning asset to him as it can be further used for other farmers or other purposes. Farmers of a village could come together pool in the money and invest in creating a solar trolley. It is nice to see a simple farmer could come up with this idea and implemented it for his benefit. If you wish to create one or distribute the same, you can contact Loom Solar. It is a leading Indian solar company having a vast solar presence and distribution network and can help in procuring and installing the same in any part of India.
This article was originally published on Loom Solar.
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