Economic Viability of Solar Photovoltaic Water Pump for Sustainable Agriculture Growth in Ban Don Toom, Mahasarakham province

Mahasarakham is an agricultural province where the total land area is utilized for the cultivation of crops. But this sector is drastically affected by the energy crisis currently worrying the whole world. The research presents solar technology utilization for sustainable growth of the agriculture sector of Mahasarakham is presented. Water pumping is a major energy-consuming operation of the agriculture field that may be shifted to solar energy-based electricity. This work elaborates on the economic feasibility of PV solar-powered water pump systems. Solar PV water pump system viability is estimated based on economic determinants like NPV and payback periods. Simulation outcomes predict that installing a single 3 kW, DC-solar PV water pump will result in 8 MWH electric power savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction produced due to fuel combustion for generating base-case electric power. Commercial implementation of solar PV water pumping technology can be a milestone in figuring out energy and economy-related agricultural issues and reducing environmental concerns. The results showed that the operating time of the highly efficient solar pumping system is at 2 p.m., and the measured water volume is 14,400 liters per hour. The knowledge and understanding assessment results before and after transferring knowledge to the community in the use and maintenance of solar pumps showed that the mean scores from the participants' test were. It was found that the mean scores from the training participant assessment form participants were able to use the knowledge from the training at the level of 9.99, most satisfied, the solar pump was found cost-effective and beneficial for horticulture crops as compared to the diesel pump.