On comparison of water and energy productivities in pressurized irrigation systems

A. Ahmad, S. Khan

    Research output: Book chapter/Published conference paperConference paperpeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Increasing scarcity of water resources to manage climate variability and change has urged countries including Australia to adopt water saving policies for agriculture sector. These policies inevitably involve dependency on high energy demanding solutions to practice more water efficient irrigated agriculture. The energy required for installation and operation of higher water efficient irrigation systems is significantly higher than traditional systems and associated greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly higher. Efficient use of both water and energy resources is vital in terms of productivity of agriculture as well as for environmental sustainability. The energy intensive irrigation systems need to be designed and managed in such a way that delivers maximum water and energy productivity into minimum greenhouse gas emissions while optimizing economic returns. Integrated high pressure (IHP) irrigation system is a hardware and software setup that supposedly delivers savings in water, energy and costs and reduces irrigation's environmental footprints. This paper discusses a spreadsheet model of horticulture production systems in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) which is a user of surface water diverted from the Murrumbidgee River. The annual water use entitlement for MIA is 1,253,000 mega litre. Horticulture (citrus and grapes) is the major high-return land use following the broad acre crops (rice and wheat) in MIA and constitutes a major portion of Australian Horticulture export. Horticulture contributes around 37% of total value of production in MIA in 2004. This paper presents results from a spreadsheet model and compares total energy and water use of irrigation systems with or without IHP with the gravity-fed system using a case study in the MIA. It is concluded that the IHS system consumes slightly less energy and deliver more water savings than the individual high pressure and gravity furrow irrigation systems (Table A). These water, energy and cost savings are achieved through better irrigation scheduling, seepage and evaporation reductions, less operation and maintenance costs, energy price bargains, and less labor requirements for a high pressure irrigation supply system for horticulture crops. The IHP system also eliminates the need for channel pre-filling and the whole water ordering and delivery system can be automated and remotely controlled. Table A. Comparison of water and energy productivity of the three systems.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM 2009 - International Congress on Modelling and Simulation
    Subtitle of host publicationInterfacing Modelling and Simulation with Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Proceedings
    EditorsR.S. Anderssen, R.D. Braddock, L.T.H. Newham
    PublisherModelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc. (MSSANZ)
    Pages2776-2782
    Number of pages7
    ISBN (Electronic)9780975840078
    Publication statusPublished - 01 Jan 2020
    Event18th World IMACS Congress and International Congress on Modelling and Simulation : MODSIM 2009 - Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns, Australia
    Duration: 13 Jul 200917 Jul 2009
    http://mssanz.org.au/modsim09/

    Publication series

    Name18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM 2009 - International Congress on Modelling and Simulation: Interfacing Modelling and Simulation with Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Proceedings

    Conference

    Conference18th World IMACS Congress and International Congress on Modelling and Simulation
    Abbreviated titleInterfacing Modelling and Simulation with Mathematical and Computational Sciences
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    CityCairns
    Period13/07/0917/07/09
    Other2009 conference, proceedings published 2020
    Internet address

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