Consumer View: Farmers bet on solar to lower costs

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Solar pumps can save farmers a big amount on fuel costs for irrigation, potentially reducing expenses by up to 91%, according to CLASP, an appliance research NGO. Kenyan farmers are adopting solar for various applications. This week, we had a conversation with Eric Kariuki, a horticultural farmer in Kajiado, Kenya, who is using solar for irrigation. 

• His solar water pump isn't Eric’s first solar purchase. "We installed solar panels first on the farm, and they've greatly saved us on electricity bills." The benefits of his solar home system prompted him to embrace solar for pumping.

• Kenya is the world’s fourth-largest exporter of cut flowers and the leading supplier to Europe. Eric farms alstroemeria flowers in a 5-acre piece of land in Acacia, Kajiado.

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• To pump water from the dam to his flowers, Eric traditionally relied on diesel-powered pumps, which were both costly and less efficient. "On average, we were buying 10 litres of diesel per day with a litre retailing at around Ksh 165." This, he says, was very expensive. "Plus, we already use solar for lighting," integrating the panels with a pump seemed like the next logical step.

• His solar-powered pump, installed by energy solutions provider LixGlo Ventures Limited, features a 5.5 kW motor, a 7.5 kW inverter and panels. The initial cost of buying and installing the pump amounted to about Ksh 1,500,000.

• "I like that it's very automated and needs very little human interaction to run smoothly." Other than that, Eric says the benefits of the solar-powered pump include fewer breakdowns compared to diesel generators, clean surplus energy, and the possibility that he can better his community by providing water to them at some point due to the surplus.

• Eric believes his new system was a good purchase, even though it's too early to tell the exact return on investment. He's optimistic it will prove worthwhile in the long term.

• "It pumps 10,000 litres per day, but we're hoping to pump up to 30,000 litres once the water goes up in the dam." The first month has been a bit slower, but it's expected since the country is going through a cold season. He remains optimistic for the future of his horticulture venture and how the solar-powered pump will help improve business operations.