Assessing Crop Water Requirements and a Case for Renewable-Energy-Powered Pumping System for Wheat, Cotton, and Sorghum Crops in Sudan

Zafar A. Khan, Muhammad Imran, Jamal Umer, Saeed Ahmed, Ogheneruona E. Diemuodeke and Amged Osman Abdelatif
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Zafar A. Khan: Department of Electrical Engineering, Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Mirpur 10250, Pakistan
Muhammad Imran: Mechanical, Biomedical and Design Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
Jamal Umer: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Saeed Ahmed: Department of Electrical Engineering, Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Mirpur 10250, Pakistan
Ogheneruona E. Diemuodeke: Energy and Thermofluid Research Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt 500102, Nigeria
Amged Osman Abdelatif: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Khartoum, Khartoum 51111, Sudan

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: Climate change is changing global weather patterns, with an increase in droughts expected to impact crop yields due to water scarcity. Crops can be provided with water via underground pumping systems to mitigate water shortages. However, the energy required to pump water tends to be expensive and hazardous to the environment. This paper explores different sites in Sudan to assess the crop water requirements as the first stage of developing renewable energy sources based on water pumping systems. The crop water requirements are calculated for different crops using the CROPWAT and CLIMWAT simulation tools from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Further, the crop water requirements are translated into electrical energy requirements. Accurate calculations of the energy needed will help in developing cost-effective energy systems that can help in improving yields and reducing carbon emissions. The results suggest that the northern regions tend to have higher energy demands and that the potential for renewable energy should be explored in these regions, which are more susceptible to drought and where crops tend to be under higher stress due to adverse climate conditions.

Keywords: agriculture; CROPWAT; irrigation management; crop water requirement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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