Solar Water Pumps are a Lifeline to Rural Communities in Australia, Yemen and Nepal
Dry and arid conditions plague many countries around the world resulting in increasing scarcity of drinking or irrigation water. Thankfully solar water pumps may be an environmentally friendly solution to this problem in countries such as Australia, Yemen and Nepal. New technology from 2013 is being implemented in rural and heavily farmed areas to give farmers townspeople better access to fresh water. Yemen Times explains that “in a country where the bulk of the population is rural and many communities are not connected to the grid, localized solar pump systems are a highly appealing alternative.” 
Grundfos spoke with Gary Masters, a cattle rancher from Emerald, Queensland in Australia, about his dilemma with decreased rainfall and hot temperatures in the area. To get water for his cattle a diesel engine or electricity for pumping were not options to consider. “When Gary was looking for a new installation, he was convinced from the beginning that it had to run on renewable energy.”
Grundfos explains that “we received the specifications from Gary Masters and designed a suitable Grundfos Solar System solution based on the new solar inverter that delivers significantly more power to run the larger SP pump” which is easily able to fulfill the water needs of the cattle. This new submersible technology introduced in 2013 became a life saver for Gary and is now in demand from customers who are also struggling during this year’s drought.
According to the Yemen Times, solar water pumps are allowing farmers there to replace the economic burden of a diesel engine with a renewable option. For the past three years diesel has been in short supply in Yemen so Mufrih Saleh, a farmer from the Darb Wada’a area in the Sa’ada governorate was glad to make the switch to solar power. “Around 12 percent of Yemen’s total consumption of diesel, estimated at 270,000 tons per month, goes to water-pumping generators, according to Iskander Al-Aghbari, manager of the Agricultural Irrigation Department of the Agriculture Ministry. And about 405,000 acres of Yemen’s cultivable land, totaling 1.5 million acres, is irrigated by water pumped from beneath the ground by diesel generators.”
“Using solar pump systems for irrigation in Yemen’s agriculture sector is still new, but Saleh receives regular visitors to his farm who come to see how the system works in practice.” There are limitations due to how expensive the systems are, but there is hope that the government will help with some of the costs and the Ministry of Agriculture will test for efficiency and minimize water loss. “This is an economical and environmental alternative. The water is pumped up with no sound and no smoke,” said Qatabri, a “secretary general of the local council of Sa’ada governorate.”
Dispatch News Desk describes a new program in Nepal where recent submersible technology from 2013 is also helping farmers in mountain towns where accessing water is difficult. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) carried out the installation with an overall goal of “reducing poverty in the Koshi basin with special attention to social inclusion.” “With an average daily sunshine of seven hours throughout the year, Nepal has a high potential for generating solar power. A report by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) suggests that the potential for commercial solar power for grid connection is around 2100 MW, while the potential for off-grid production is much higher.” Again costs of the panels and batteries deter rural populations from the technology for now, but the demand for fresh water may become too great. “It is hoped that these pumps will reach farmers across Nepal, and help them tackle water shortage and address their irrigation needs in a cost-effective manner.”