Integration of Solar Energy Resource into Agro-Energy Cooperative Districts: A Case Study based on Solar Powered Irrigation Pumps

Abstract

The use of renewable energy resources to decrease both energy dependence and climate change has become a usual solution promoted by most developed countries. Nowadays, a significant number of governments have supported the integration of renewables in a sort of energy sectors, such as industrial customers or rural areas. Under this framework, the present paper describes a case study to integrate solar resource into rural areas for irrigation pumping purposes. This study has been carried out in two Mediterranean countries with similar solar radiation levels but with significantly different energy policies: Spain and Morocco. Results provide an analysis of agro-energy cooperative districts to optimize energy requirements in terms of water pumping and under scarcity conditions, typically found in current Mediterranean areas. Real data from both rural areas are also included in the paper. The study has been carried out by means of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applied to both selected areas.