SMART Irrigation Project in Neiva, Colombia
A project co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and performed together with ENERA S.A.S.
Situation: Rice requires constant irrigation. The rice farms in Neiva are not connected to the grid. Therefore, the irrigation pumps are powered by 110 kW diesel generators, which are expensive (US$ 1.2/l) and harmful to the environment.
Technology: Installation of an irrigation pump directly powered by a SMART Duofloat Turbine in order to (partly) replace the diesel.
- Water velocity of 1.7 m/s results in an average annual generation of 1.1 kW or 36 m³/hour of water pumped
- Direct-coupled systems eliminates the use of batteries
- The water pump connected to the river turbine pumps 1,000 m³ for 30% of the costs compared to a diesel generator (approx. US$ 0.004/m³)
- The amortization time of this project is less than 5 years
This project is part of the worldwide dena Renewable Energy Solutions Programme coordinated by Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) – the German Energy Agency – and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) within the initiative “renewables – Made in Germany”.
