It is a known fact that solar energy is one of the unlimited alternative forms of energy and is gradually becoming the mainstream owing to its feasibility and abundance in nature. Not just industrial and commercial properties are making the most of solar energy, even farms are being introduced to the vast variety of uses of solar energy.
Solar power generation is considered to be a breakthrough in India’s agricultural sector since there is a dire need of technological intervention since the time has known. Modern methods such as Solar Photovoltaic cells (SPV) which can directly convert the sunlight into electricity or the Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems which use an indirect method for the same conversion are some of the examples where the youth is creating a difference in India’s oldest form of occupation.
Other than the SPVs and CSPs, several new techniques have shown their presence such as the dye-sensitized solar cells, solar conduction dryers, bio-hybrid solar cells, etc. All of these tools are portable, feasible, and make it easier for the small-scale as well as large-scale farmers to use them during their harvest season.
Solar Dehydrators
Solar powered dehydrators or dryers are utilized in ranches to dry harvest before sending them to the market. These dryers normally utilize solar panels for producing energy. A vast scale solar dryers typically comprises of a shed, drying racks and a solar heat gatherer (boards). Residential and compact solar dehydrators can deal with farm produce like vegetables, organic products, flavors, and so on. They can be utilized for drying transitory and perishable goods without tainting. This kind of dryers have parts, for example, solar air warmers, an electric blower, associating ducts, a drying chamber and control frameworks for air temperature and stream rate. These dryers are utilized to dry out high cost items.
Solar Powered Irrigation System
A sunlight based photovoltaic (SPV) water pumping system comprises of solar boards, an on-off switch, a control and following component, and an engine pump. This framework basically utilizes SPV cells for changing over solar energy into electric flow. A SPV cell cluster limit can run around 200 watts to 5KWp (kilowatt-crest) in view of the requirements of various water sources, for example, bore-wells, open wells, supplies, streams, and so on.
A few states in India offer subsidies of up to 80% to faremrs for empowering the utilization of solar based energy. A few producers, for example, Kirloskar, Schneider Electric, Tata Solar, and so forth offer a wide scope of solar pumping frameworks in India.
Solar Powered Machines
Solar based electric mowers and tractors are accessible with cordless and battery-powered choices. These mowers don’t discharge lethal exhaust and don’t require regular refueling to run. Just a couple of long periods of energizing from a solar controlled battery charger are required. It is additionally conceivable to change over a fuel or electric garden mower into a solar trimmer.
Hence, agribusiness and cultivation expenses can be high, and meeting these costs can be troublesome for some agriculturists; in these cases solar techniques can enable agriculturists to diminish their expenses and enhance their proficiency and confidence.
[Authored by Ms. Nidhi Pant – Co-founder, Science for Society-S4S Technologies]
