Feasibility of solar pump for sustainable irrigation in Bangladesh

A base-line survey was conducted in 2010 at different locations of Bangladesh to know the present status of solar pumps. The respondents were solar pump users, suppliers and service providers. There were about 150 solar pumps in Bangladesh, among them 65 % were used for supplying drinking water to the poor people of the locality and about 35 % solar pumps were used for irrigation purposes. The size of solar pumps varied from 300 to 1,190 Wp and discharge capacity varied from 2,000 to 800,000 L/day. Panel cost was the major cost (45 %) in solar pump followed by the costs of installation (18 %), motor (16 %), pump (10 %), and pipes and fittings (4 %). Life cycle cost…