Micro Sprinklers In Kenya

Micro sprinklers in Kenya by Grekkon Limited are low-pressure, low to medium volume irrigation equipment that are ideal for micro-irrigation. They deliver water directly to the crop root zone, in a uniform manner. They provide full scale surface irrigation, and localised watering of crops. Micro sprinklers are used for; fruit tree, lawn, hedge, and small garden irrigation

Micro sprinkler price in Kenya

The unit cost of all types of sprinkler jet micro sprinklers at Grekkon Limited is from Kes 100 at any of our branches nationwide. Micro sprinkler price per acre is a factor of the number of units used, which depends on the crop spacing. For instance tree tomato spaced at 2M x 2M will require a higher number of micro sprinklers than avocado spaced at 6M x 5M

Each unit is composed of 3 parts; the sprinkler, the 8mm diameter connecting tube, and a 1-1/2′ long plastic support stand

Micro sprinklers save water through high application efficiency, and uniformity of spray. They are a substitute for button drippers where drip irrigation is impractical, but create a larger wetted area than drip irrigation. Micro sprinkler irrigation provides low precipitation which allows for longer watering time with low run-off. They are available in a wide range of plastic configurations. Micro sprinkler sets are used with fertigation systems which save on fertiliser application labour cost. They are also light in weight and small in size, which makes them highly portable, and easy to install

Micro sprinklers watering an apple crop

What is micro sprinkler irrigation?

It is micro irrigation through the adoption of sprinkler jet micro sprinklers, set at the base of the plant

Micro Sprinklers In Kenya

Coverage:

Micro sprinklers coverage is a factor of; flow rate, wetting diameter or radius, and the wetting degree.

1. Operating pressure; from 15M head / 1.5 bar – 20M head/ 2 bar. Pressure lower than this will cause the micro sprinkler to release large droplets, or cease rotation. These droplets will be unhelpful, or even destructive to the work undertaken

2. Flow rate 40 litres per hour

3. Irrigation degree; available as 90, 180, and 360 degrees

4. Irrigation dimeter; 1.5M to 3.5M. This is an important factor to note during installation because it guides on the spacing of one sprinkler jet micro sprinkler to another

Micro sprinklers work when positioned upright, or upside down. Upright when they’re standing on the ground for normal irrigation. Upside down when set in a greenhouse, or open field crop to provide humidity to a mature crop or seedlings. This upside down placement is also for keeping plant foliage moist, or for overhead irrigation.

They deliver irrigation water through micro tubing to a series of nozzles attached to risers. They have small to medium sized droplets with good uniformity of coverage, and  lower precipitation rate.

How to space micro sprinklers

Micro sprinklers placement is in such a manner that the sprays overlap. If for instance the irrigation diameter  is 1.5M, the distance between micro sprinklers will be 2.25M. This ensures that there are no dry spots in between. An overlap ensures full coverage particularly for lawns, hedges or very closely spaced crops

How to use micro sprinklers with fruit trees

Our micro sprinklers for orchards are installed this way: Set one micro sprinkler per tree, 30cm or 1 foot from the base of the tree trunk being irrigated. Unlike online or button drippers which work well with gravity, a water pump will be necessary when irrigating with many micro sprinklers. This is because they need an operating pressure of 15M – 20M head, which is best achieved by a water pump

How much water do micro sprinklers use?

They use a maximum of 40 litres per hour

Micro Sprinklers In Kenya

FAQs

1. How effective is micro sprinkler irrigation?

It reduces water usage by 25% to 40% compared to impact or rain gun sprinkler irrigation, and by 45% to 60% when compared to surface irrigation. They provide uniform water application which ensures uniform growth and crop maturity

2. How far apart should sprinkler jet micro sprinkler be?

It should be less than the radius of their spray. See details above under the heading how to space micro sprinklers

3. When do you use a micro sprinkler?

Like drip irrigation, they are great for water conservation. However, unlike drips they create a humid micro climate around the crop, which is important in the control of certain pests such as spider mites, arphids, and thrips,

4. What are the disadvantages of micro sprinkler irrigation?

4.1. The tubes get clogged more easily than those of an impact sprinkler or rain gun sprinkler. This is because they are much smaller than those of other sprinkler types

4.2. They are more expensive to install than drip lines, or button drippers

4.3. They require higher operating pressure than drip lines, or button drippers, hence the need to invest in a water pump

4.4. They require a higher level of expertise during installation than button drippers, or drip tapes

4.5. The rate of water loss due to evaporation is higher than with a button dripper, or drip irrigation system

4.6. Many units are required per unit of land compared to other larger sprinklers

5. How do micro sprinklers work?

They have micro tubings which deliver water to  small openings that release it at a slow rate, as fine particles. They apply water directly to the soil surface allowing it to percolate under low pressure

6. How far do micro sprinklers spray?

1.5M to 3.5M diameter

7. What are the components of a micro-irrigation system?

7.1. A pumping station to provide the right pumping pressure

7.2. A filtration system to capture any debris or dirt that will clog the system

7.3. Mainlines. These are the pipes originating from the pumping station, and feeding the sub-main lines. They are the largest pipes

7.4. Sub-main lines. These are the pipes origination from the main lines, and feeding the laterals. They are smaller in diameter than the main lines

7.5. Laterals. These the pipes connecting to the sub-main lines, to which the micro sprinklers are attached. They are the smallest pipes in diameter

These pipes will be either be of the high density polypropylene (HDPE), or poly vinyl chloride PVC type

7.6. Hydrants. These are the irrigation control units in the field from which water is channelled to various blocks

7.7. Venturi system. This is a chemigation and/or a fertigation unit connected to the main line. It is the point from which soluble fertiliser and drenching pesticides are fed into the irrigation system

A venturi fertigation – chemigation unit being set up in an upcoming vegetable farm by Grekkon Limited

7.8. The sprinklers. They water the crops directly

8. How long to run micro sprinklers in Kenya?

35 to 45 minutes is sufficient time at optimal flow rate and working pressure

9. What is the difference between drip irrigation and micro sprinklers?

Drip irrigation is for closely spaced crops that require targeted irrigation. Micro-sprinkler irrigation is for sparsely spaced, larger crops or crops that grow best under overhead irrigation

10. What is the difference between mini and micro sprinklers in Kenya?

Mini sprinklers are larger, with a greater flow rate and operating pressure to cover a bigger area. They are better for smaller plants or landscape irrigation

Low Cost Solar Dryers

Grekkon Limited is the largest supplier of  low cost solar dryers for agricultural products in Kenya .  These low cost solar dryers work on solar strength, and are also augmented with a biomass heat unit if so desired by the client. Our agricultural solar dryers design is according to the product, location, and drying volume per session.

These passive or active solar dryers for fruits and vegetables are fixed or portable as the user needs it. The fixed ones are large and impractical to move about, while the portable one are small domestic drying units

Solar dried mango slices

Low Cost Solar Dryers in Kenya

Grekkon limited designs and constructs both passive/ natural circulation, and active/ forced circulation low cost solar dryers for agricultural products. The passive solar dryers have no additional mechanical input, while the active dryers do. Active solar dryers are also know as hybrid solar dryers. Their additional mechanical inputs are;  a biomass heating unit, or solar powered exhaust plus extraction fans, and synchronizers. A hybrid solar dryer will have one (solar system or biomass heater) of these enhancements, or both. These enhance drying time by 30% to 100% compared to passive drying. Attached biomass heating units allow for night time drying, or on cloudy/ rainy days.

Solar Dryer Materials

• Light UV treated translucent polythene paper to allow heat and light. The paper also has anti-drip treatment to prevent dew formation which causes moulds to form on food
• Heavy UV treated geomembrane to conserve heat
• Steel bars galvanized with food-grade aluminum or zinc for food safety
• UV treated heavy gauge netting to prevent insect pests from entering

A simple portable solar dryer under construction by the Grekkon technical team at Rusinga Island, Homa Bay county. The local community will dry bananas for processing into flour

Below are 2 videos: The first one is of a farmer in Homa-bay county, western Kenya using a community passive/ natural circulation solar dryer to add value to banana produce. The second one is of a mango processor in Taita Taveta county at the county’s coast with an active/ forced circulation dryer. Both solar dryers are by Grekkon Limited.

Video 1.   Video 2.  

Our low cost solar dryers have shelves at different levels depending on the volume or weight of food crops to dry per session.

Low Cost Solar Dryer Design

What is the working principle of a solar dryer?

1. Passive/ Natural Circulation Food Solar Dryer

Grekkon Limited solar dryers work in the following steps;

i. Capture & collect the sun’s heat

ii. Create a ‘greenhouse effect’ which causes moisture loss from the produce

iii. Air coming into the dryer exits with this moisture from the vent

2 Active/ Forced Circulation Food Solar Dryer

In addition to what takes place in the passive solar drying unit, the fans force in hot air from outside, and force out hotter air combined with moisture from inside the dryer. At night or on cloudy/ rainy days, the biomass unit supplies the drying heat.

Pros and cons of a low cost solar dryer in Kenya

1. Speed of drying. Food dries four to five times faster.
2. Quality. As the sun’s UV rays do not get into direct contact with the drying food, the food’s; color, taste, scent, and nutritional value is unaffected
3. Cleanliness. The food is free from dust, sand, or other external contaminants
4. No pests. Insect, bird, or mammalian pests have no access to food in the dryer, so no attack occurs
5. It is more expensive to build and maintain than open-air drying

Solar dried chilli peppers

 Low Cost Solar Dryers

FAQs

III. What do a low cost solar dryers do?

Grekkon Limited’s solar dryers reduce the moisture content to less than 12% in these products;

• Plantation crops; coffee, rice, cassava
• Vegetables; tomato, onion, garlic, brassicas, hot peppers
• Cereals; sorghum, and millet
• Herbs; moringa, mint, rosemary
• Oil crops; groundnuts, sunflower, macadamia, cashew nuts
• Others; mushrooms, fish, beef, mutton

IV. How do you dry vegetables with solar?

• Wash the vegetables to remove all dirt
• Ensure there are no insect pests present
• Remove any diseased parts or produce
• Cut or grind them into smaller pieces to increase the drying surface area

Place them in the solar dryer holding trays

Dry cassava chips

V. What is the most popular use of low cost solar dryers?

To dry fruits, mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, spices, coffee, cassava, banana and fish. Banana and cassava are further processed into food flour. A solar dryer ensures that the food is free of any external contamination

VI. What are the main applications of a solar dryer?

Besides vegetables and fruits, commercial solar dryers in Kenya are for fish, root crops and mushroom drying. Commonly dried foods in Kenya through our solar dryers are:

i. Banana, cassava, pumpkin, millet, and sorghum to make food flour. Dried cassava is also processed for industrial starch manufacture

ii. Moringa as a medicinal herb

iii. Tomato, capsicum, traditional vegetables, kales, and spinach  as vegetable nutrients

iv.  Mango, papaya, as dried fruits for snacking

v.  Omena which is the silver cyprinid fish for both human consumption, and as additive to animal feed

vi. Coffee so that it’s suitable for milling. Coffee solar dryers are the largest, each holding over 5 tons of berries per drying session

Water Harvesting With Dam Liners

Water harvesting with dam liners in Kenya is a an important aspect of effective and consistent all year round irrigation. Grekkon Limited is the largest provider of the 3 main types of dam liners in Kenya. This is for water harvesting and aquaculture to smallholder and medium commercial farmers. We encourage every commercial crop farmer to excavate a water pan for off-season production. We then line this water pan with geomembrane material to hold water. Dam liners prevent water loss in the reservoir through seepage into the soil below. Produce cultivated during the off-season fetches better prices, and ensures a consistent farm income. Our dam liners have anti-UV treatment to protect them from long-term solar degradation, which extends their lifespan

A roll of 0.75mm dam liner

Water Harvesting With Dam Liners

Steps:

• Work out the area under irrigation, or to irrigate
• Determine the irrigation method. Each method consumes different amounts of water. We recommend drip irrigation as the most water efficient method
• Understand how long the dry off-season period is
• The 3 workings above will give an indication of the water quantity needed
• Work out the size of the water pan to excavate to hold this amount of water
• Calculate the dam liner size to install in this water pan

An illustration

An acre of strawberry measures 4,048 meters square. The method of irrigation is drip, and strawberry require 100 cubic litres weekly per acre (averagely). The dry period lasts for 32 weeks, so the amount of water needed is 3.2million litres or 3,200 cubic liters to last this long. This assumes zero rainfall in these 8 months, and that there is a shade net covering to prevent evaporation losses

The reservoir dimensions are 36M length x 36M width x 2.5M depth. The total liner needed for this is 1,849 meters square

A newly excavated reservoir with a dam liner covering

Dam Liner Types In Kenya

1. By material

1.1. High density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane. These are the most common types because they have additional use in making urban multi-storey gardens

1.2. PVC dam liners. The are soft but heavy. This makes them easier to weld and install

1.3. Low density polyethylene (LDPE). They are soft and light, hence the least popular because they have a short lifespan

HDPE geomembrane pond lining

2. By size

2.1. 0.5mm / 500 microns. For smooth surfaces or soil with light murram particles. It has a lifespan of 15 years

2.2. 0.75mm / microns. For lightly stony or rocky surfaces. It has a life span of 25 years

2.3. 1mm / 1,000 microns. Applied on moderately stony or rocky surfaces. Period of use is 35 years

2.4. 1.5mm /1,500 microns. For application in difficult terrain where the others will not hold

An irrigation water pan with dam liner material

Hybrid Solar Dryers For Sale In Kenya

Hybrid solar dryers for sale in Kenya by Grekkon Limited are active dryers designed to dry quicker, all year round. They are augmented units of the conventional passive solar dryers. The company has three types of hybrid solar dryers for sale in Kenya

1. Solar powered. These units have a solar powering system that runs the extraction and exhaust fans. The fans provide better movement of air within the dryer, and removal of the moisture from the drying produce. This hastens the drying process
2. Biomass powered. They have a biomass burning unit connected on the exterior. Biomass in the form of brickettes or charcoal heats water which produces steam that travels in tubes within the dryer. This heats up the air in the dryer, accelerating the dring process. Biomass powered dryers can be used at night or on cloudy, rainy or cold days when there is insufficient sunshine to dry

These hybrid solar dryers cost in Kenya ranges from Kes 135,000 to Kes 1,500,000. These hybrid solar dryers for sale in Kenya are for a carrying capacity of 100kgs through 1,000kgs

Hybrid Solar Dryers For Sale In Kenya

Solar Dryer Materials

• Light UV treated translucent polythene paper to allow heat and light. The paper also has anti-drip treatment to prevent dew formation which causes moulds to form on food
• Heavy UV treated geomembrane to conserve heat
• Steel bars galvanized with food-grade aluminum or zinc for food safety
• UV treated heavy gauge netting to prevent insect pests from entering

A hybrid solar dryerwith both an external biomass heating units, and a solar power system

 Hybrid Solar Dryers For Sale In Kenya

I. What is hybrid solar dryer?

It is a conventional solar dryer that receives additional drying power from an external source. This could be biomass, solar or electricity

II. What are the three types of solar dryers?

• Natural / conventional solar dryers. These dry using only the power of the sun
• Forced  / active dryers. They are augmented versions of the conventional solar dryers
• Portable or fixed solar dryers

IV. What does a solar dryer do?

Grekkon Limited’s solar dryers reduce the moisture content to less than 12% in these products;

• Plantation crops; coffee, rice, cassava
• Vegetables; tomato, onion, garlic, brassicas, hot peppers
• Cereals; sorghum, and millet
• Herbs; moringa, mint, rosemary
• Oil crops; groundnuts, sunflower, macadamia, cashew nuts
• Others; mushrooms, fish, beef, mutton

V. How do you dry vegetables with solar?

• Wash the vegetables to remove all dirt
• Ensure there are no insect pests present
• Remove any diseased parts or produce
• Cut or grind them into smaller pieces to increase the drying surface area

Place them in the solar dryer holding trays

Dry cassava chips

VI. What is the most popular use of solar dryers?

To dry fruits, mushrooms, vegetables, herbs, spices, coffee, cassava, banana and fish. Banana and cassava are further processed into food flour. A solar dryer ensures that the food is free of any external contamination

VII. What are the main applications of a solar dryer?

Besides vegetables and fruits, commercial solar dryers in Kenya are for fish, root crops and mushroom drying. Commonly dried foods in Kenya through our solar dryers are:

i. Banana, cassava, pumpkin, millet, and sorghum to make food flour. Dried cassava is also processed for industrial starch manufacture

ii. Moringa as a medicinal herb

iii. Tomato, capsicum, traditional vegetables, kales, and spinach  as vegetable nutrients

iv.  Mango, papaya, as dried fruits for snacking

v.  Omena which is the silver cyprinid fish for both human consumption, and as additive to animal feed

vi. Coffee so that it’s suitable for milling. Coffee solar dryers are the largest, each holding over 5 tons of berries per drying session

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya is from Grekkon Limited. The company offers the best UV-treated black high density polyethylene (HDPE) dam liners manufactured for tropical climates. Our pond liners for sale in Kenya line the walls and floors of water harvesting reservoirs. This is to prevent water loss through seepage into the soil. Changing rainfall patterns and unpredictable seasons are increasingly becoming a norm in Africa. This is why the need for agricultural water conservation is growing amongst farmers. Every farmer practicing irrigation has a water source

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

Water pans lined with dam liners are a source of irrigation water storage. This water is from a larger source such as a lake, river, or borehole water, and also harvesting rain and run-off water. Besides irrigation of your crop, the pond liners on your water pan allows  for commercial or subsistence fish rearing; the former to boost household income, the latter to supplement household protein

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

Dam liners are available in the companies 6 branches located in; Athi river, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Nyeri and Nyahururu. We supply pond liners either as rolls of 110M x 8M, 0r cut and welded into the client’s water pan’s specifications

Dam liner rolls by Grekkon Limited

HDPE pond liners cut from a roll and welded to tailor it to the water pan dimensions

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

Positioning Your Water Reservoir For Irrigation

This depends on:

i. The source of water going into the water pan. If  the source is from a lower altitude water source such as a river or lake, the water pan is at an elevated position so that with a water pump, the water is reticulated through irrigation water pipes to the water pan. If the water source is from rain water falling on the roofs or run-off, the water pun is positioned at a lower gradient

ii. Preferred irrigation method. If by sprinkler  irrigation or rain hose kits which require high pressure from a water pump, the water pan will be situated at any point. If by low gravity pressure say for drip or button drip irrigation, then it will be at the highest point of the farm

Water harvesting using dam liners

Where to buy dam-liners in Kenya

How to Harvest Water Using Dam Liners

Factors to consider

1. Land size

The amount of water required for half an acre is less than that needed for 20 acres. The latter will harvest more water to irrigate the greater acreage, and the former will have less water harvested. The bigger the volume of water reserved, the larger the dam liner size

2. Location

The amount of rain fall is different in every climatic zone. Growers in the cool wet highlands have just a few dry months in the year, while farmers in the dry zones have more dry months than wet. In regions where the interval between rains is long, larger reservoirs are built for the same acreage as that in the cool wet location. Again, dry locations have very high  water loss through evaporation. In this case, it is advised to set up a shade net over the water reservoir to manage this water loss

3.  Ground Elevation

The farm gradient determines the location of the water pan. Some choose to have it at the lowest part so as to capture run-off water. If it is for crop irrigation, this water is either pumped uphill to a tank from where it flows back by gravity to the crop. Or it is pumped directly to the crop from the water reservoir. Others choose to locate the water pan on the highest point of the farm so that the water, through gravity flows out to the crop. In this case, the farmer does not retain run-off  rain water from the farm. On a flat terrain, irrigation water is physically pumped out to either a high storage tank for onward gravity flow to the crop. Or directly to the crop

A low reservoir that collects run-off rain water

4. Farming System

The size of the water pan will differ for irrigation, compared with aquaculture or livestock production

5. Crop Type

Some crops are more water demanding such as leafy vegetables, than others such as herbs. Then some crops  like onion are densely spaced while others are like avocado are sparsely populated in the farm. This will determine the water requirement

6. Irrigation System

Every irrigation system has it’s own unique water use. Drip irrigation conserves water while overhead irrigation through sprinklers or rain hose kits spends huge water volumes

7. Surface Texture

The surface texture of the water pan determines the dam liner thickness to install. For a smooth surface, a 0.5mm dam liner is ok. Where the surface is stony or rocky, then the 0.75mm or 1mm dam line is better

Before harvesting your water using dam liners, ensure that the water pan’s surface is free of debris as much as is possible. This will be stones, rocks, tree stomps, or sticks. This reduces the danger of your dam liner tearing as a result of perforation caused by the weight of the water squeezing the material against these particles

Trench 0.75M to 1M along the perimeter or circumference of the water pan. This trench is 1ft wide and 2 ft deep. Your dam liner edges will be tucked in here and covered with soil, gravel or stones to anchor it in place. Alternatively, use sand bags along the edges to hold your dam liner in place

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

How Are Dam Liner Sizes Calculated?

Before determining the dam liner size, one must understand the size of the reservoir or tank. This is by measuring the length, width, and depth/ height (for rectangular or square shaped reservoirs/ tanks). For circular or cylindrical tanks/ reservoirs, measure the diameter, and the depth/ height. The reason this is key is because our dam liner material comes in rolls. To make out the shape of the water pan or tank, the dam liner is cut  in large bits from the roll and joined together. This is to create the 2 dimension size of the water reservoir or tank. For example; if the width of the dam liner on the roll is 8M, and the water pan requires a width of 15M. Then 2 pieces, one measuring 8M and another 7M in width from the roll are cut and joined to create the 15M width

How Do I Calculate How Much Dam Liner I Need?

The dam liner calculator is adapted to the shape of the irrigation water reservoir as illustated in the 3 different shapes below

1. Sloped sides reservoir

The slope of the dam wall is shown as slanting length (SL) or slanting width (SW) in the dam liner calculator tabulation shown later in this page

2. Cylindrical circular tanks

3. Straight side reservoirs

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

Pond Liner Calculator Table

If your totals include a decimal say 120.3sq, round it up to the nearest whole number, in this case 121M sq. The +0.6M in the ‘circular liner’ and is the overlap. So is the 2M in the straight side liner’

“D” is the maximum depth which is the center-most point of the reservoir

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

How much overhang should a pond liner have?

An overhang is the extra liner material that holds the main liner in the reservoir or tank. This excess material is held against the external wall of the tank, or tucked in a trench all around the reservoir to support the dam liner in place. It is covered with soil or stones in the trench.  Another alternative to trenching is to lay sand bags on it. The weight of the sand bags holds the dam liner in place

After excavation, it is necessary to compress the mould of soil roundabout the water pan before making a trench

See below

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

How To Weld Dam Liners

1. Factory welding. Depending on the dam liner size, weld it whole or partially in the factory. The weight and volume of the welded material must be easily portable on site.  The latter factor guides on how much of the dam liner material will be put together in the factory
2. Site  or field welding. This is done on site at the point of dam liner installation. It is the joining together of the partially welded dam liner pieces from the factory. Site welding is done when the entire dam liner could not be wholly put together in the factory. This is as a result of weight or bulkiness, which limits lifting and transportation of the bulky and heavy material. The weight size of the portable material depends on the thickness of the dam liner. The thicker it is, the less it is
3. A wedge welding machine or a heat gun/ heat blower is the equipment that does dam liner welding. A wedge machine is what does it in the factory. The heat gun is highly portable, and so is best for field joinery

Dam liner welding involves melting the liner material under high temperature at the point of joining them. Once melted, the 2 layers are laid one over the other and as they harden, become one unit

Factory wedge welding of a 1mm  thick dam liner

Joining 2 dam liner pieces with a heat gun

Both equipment run on electric power. In off grid electricity locations, Grekkon Limited provides a generator to power the heat gun or wedge welding machine

Where to buy dam liners in Kenya

A Step by step procedure on how to install dam liners

To learn how to install dam liners in your water pan or tank, consider the following factors

1. Determine if;

1.1.  It is a water reservoir

or

1.2  A water tank

Each storage unit has a different way of calculating the dam liner

2. Define the shape of the water pan or tank;

2.1. Is it circular/ oval or square/ rectangular?

2.2  Are the rectangular/ square sides steep or slanted?

The dam liner calculation formulae is different for each shape as illustrated later in this article

The second stage in how to install dam liners is to work out the dam liner size

A Grekkon Limited technician installing a dam liner in a water reservoir

Solar Irrigation Kits In Kenya

Grekkon Limited’s solar irrigation kits in Kenya utilise soalr energy as the primary power source to pump water, and distribute it in the farm. Our solar irrigation kits are a clean energy technology that reduces greenhouse emissions. They substitute fossil fuels as an energy source. The company supplies and installs these kits within the east Africa region mainly for smallholder farmers

A Grekkon solar submersible water pump for smallholder farmers

Solar Irrigation Kits In Kenya

Components

1. A water source. This will be a deep or shallow well, a dug out or natural water reservoir, a river, lake or a an artificial water storage unit
2. Mounting structure for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
3. A solar pump. This will be either a submersible solar electric water pump (ideal for wells), or a surface solar water pump. The pump will be fixed or portable depending on the size
4. A solar water pump controller
5. The irrigation system. Most solar powered irrigation systems have the drip irrigation kit as the watering component. This is because it operates under low volume, low pressure. However, some farmers opt also for the rain hose irrigation kit depending on the crop type, available water volume, and the pumping pressure. The rain hose kit works best at high water volume, under high pressure

Components of a solar irrigation kit

Solar Irrigation Kits In Kenya

How they work

• Electricity to run the solar water pump is generated by solar PV panels. They absorb the sun’s energy converting it to direct current (DC) electical energy
• This DC energy flows into an inverter/ controller which converts it to alternating current (AC) electrical energy
• The AC power is channeled to the motor, which runs the pump
• The pump distributes water to the irrigation system

The number of panels used depends on the motor size. The larger it is, the higher the number of PV panels required

A farmer will opt to irrigate by pumping directly to the irrigation system, or to an elevated storage unit, from which the water flows to the irrigation system by gravity

Solar Irrigation Kits In Kenya

Benefits

i. It allows for water pumping in electricity off-grid locations by generating its own solar electric power

ii. It reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases as it does not run on fossil fuels

iii. Farmers produce all your round so long as irrigation water is available

iv. It has near zero maintainance and operating costs, as there’s no drudgery during irrigation

v. There are no opertional costs unlike fossil fuel powered water pumps that require diesel or petrol purchases to run

Solar Irrigation Kit Price In Kenya

1. Drip Irrigation Kit

A Grekkon surface solar water pump for irrigation

2. Rain hose kit

Solar Irrigation Kits In Kenya

FAQs

1. What is a solar power irrigation system?

It is a unit composed of a solar pump, and  an irrigation kit

2. Do solar panels work at night?

No they don’t. However, a farmer can choose to set up a battery to store power during the day, to power the irrigation system at night

3. Do solar panels work in the rain?

They work optimally under clear skies. Their efficiency is dramatically reduced with heavy cloud cover

4. How many solar panels does it take to run a water pump?

It depnds on the size of the motor attached to the solar pump. The greater it is, the higher the number of solar panels required

5. What is the weakness of a solar pump?

They do not work if there is no solar energy provision

6. What solar pump is best for agriculture?

Grekkon limited has the best solar powered water pumps for agriculture because they are designed for small, and medium holder farmers in Africa who constitute about 87% of the farmeing community on the continent

7. How long do solar water pumps last?

For more than 20 years with regular servicing

8. Does a solar water pump need a battery?

No. It will work with the current received directly from the solar panels

9. How deep can a solar pump work?

It depends on the head of the submersible solar pump. Some work in wells as deep as 500M

10. Do you need an inverter with solar panels?

Yes if the pump uses AC current. The inverter will convert the DC to AC. However, a DC pump will not require an inverter

Fossil fuel powered water pumps carbon emissions calculation

The downside of fossil fuel powered water pumps is CO2 emissions, which contribute to global warming, the chief reason for negative climate change being experienced today. To calculate the quantity of CO2 emission from a diesel water pump, multiply the fuel usage in litres by a factor of 2.67. For example; a pump that consumes 100 litres of diesel per month emits 267kgs of CO2 emissions monthly. To calculate the quantity of CO2 emission from a petrol water pump, multiply the fuel usage in litres by a factor of 2.3035. For example; a pump that consumes 100 litres of petrol per month emits 230.35 kgs of CO2 emissions monthly.