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Automation Technologies 4/2014

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Automation Technologies 4/2014

The importance of

The importance of photovoltaic for the agriculture in Nicaragua Klaas Eßmüller, Dennis Kortstock A school project in Hamburg is looking at the specific application of photovoltaics in agriculture. The main focus is on the development and sizing of solar-powered groundwater irrigation systems. This is a learning process in which control equipment and the Siemens expertise also play a role. Author: Klaas Eßmüller, Industry Automation, Siemens AG; Dennis Kortstock, Industry Automation, Siemens AG, Germany

There are a few things you have to know about Nicaragua: The country is rich in natural resources and has a huge potential to produce agricultural products. But local farmers have to live under climatic conditions that are defined by extreme rainfall on the one hand and several months of drought on the othcontrol and drive technology Topic of a Hamburg school project with its partner city León in Nicaragua is the practical application of solar powered groundwater irrigation systems in agriculture next page Robert Heiden, a physics teacher at a school in Blankenese, a suburb of Hamburg, has recognized the signs of the times. “Renewable energy will become a major issue for the generation growing up now” Together with Clemens Krühler, his colleague from the technology department, and Kirsten Ahrncke who teaches social studies, Robert Heiden is supporting the EduaRD (Education and Renewable Energy and Development) project at his school. Photovoltaic project in Nicaragua It is offered as a series of electives and looks not only at the interactions between economic productivity and how societies develop. It also wants to offer practical insights into the interaction between physical and biological processes. And it looks at the growing importance of future technologies to make use of renewable energy. A partnership between the city of Hamburg, Germany, and the city of Léon in Nicaragua is helpful in this respect. The three dedicated teachers realized that they could use this connection for a practical photovoltaic project as part of EduaRD. And so the first project group traveled to Nicaragua in 2003 to demonstrate the practical use of solar power in agriculture on-site. A solution that was so successful that the project still exists today and 20 additional plants have been implemented since then. er. The existence of an entire family could easily be in danger if one of the two rainy seasons were to fail. During the drought period, farmers have a hard time to supply their fields and plantations with water. In rural areas without any electricity, they can only pump the groundwater manually to water the parched soil. This means productivity is low; so low that Nicaragua cannot support its own population sufficiently despite its huge areas of arable land. The problem is not water which is available in abundance even during the drought period. The problem is simply to bring this water to the surface. Solar power as solution This is where EduaRD comes into play. Robert Heiden and Clemens Krühler discovered rather quickly that there was a crucial connection. The same sun that dried out the soil and made plants wither also supplied energy in abundance. This means it makes sense to use exactly this energy to provide plants with the water that is available in large quantities underground. At the start of the project, students were asked to calculate the biological and physical correlations of a project and to use these insights to determine the technical key figures of a solar powered irrigation Shortage despite abundance 01 Students from Hamburg use solar energy to operate irrigation systems to pump groundwater to the surface during drought periods so that it can be used to water the fields AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES 4/2014

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