Diseño y simulación de un sistema híbrido fotovoltáico-hidráulico para riego de cultivo en Pimampiro : diseño y simulación de un sistema híbrido fotovoltáico-hidráulico para riego de cultivo en Pimampiro.

Abstract

Crop irrigation for potatoes is carried out using systems that rely on conventional fossil energy sources in Pimampiro, Ibarra province, Ecuador. This current curricular integration project proposes the design of a hybrid photovoltaic-hydraulic system to replace the existing systems, utilizing a functional unit of 1 hectare of cultivation. The designed system conveys water from a deep well to a reservoir through a hydraulic pump powered by a photovoltaic solar array. Subsequently, before being employed in a flood irrigation system, the water passes through a Pump-as-Turbine (PAT), which manages to recover a portion of the energy used for pumping. The operation of this system was analyzed through calculations and simulations in the RETSCREEN software. The obtained results indicate that, by using an approach involving the elevation difference between the water well and the cultivation terrain for one-third of the crop's water requirement, the hybrid system can recover a significant amount of energy. This transformation reduces the electrical consumption effectively from 10.8 kWh to 1.8 kWh. Consequently, this work suggests the feasibility of replacing the energy source for an irrigation system by implementing renewable sources such as photovoltaic and hydraulic energy.