Solar PV water pumping study - FINAL REPORT ... - UNDP, Namibia

Feasibility Assessment for the Replacement of Diesel Pumps with Solar Pumps
6 RECOMMENDATION
FINAL REPORT: September 2006
The lobbying activities that follow this study need to focus on the following stakeholders
which have been identified as those which will have the broadest impact on the uptake of
PVP in the Namibian market:
• Commercial farmers: As shown most of the boreholes in Namibia are on commercial
land. This is therefore the sector that can make the most significant impact. The
identified media for lobbying the commercial farmers are through the monthly/bimonthly
publications, the radio as for example the Landbou Mikrofoon and Farmers
Info, as well as through the electronic media of the farmers unions and the hospitality
association.
• Consultants Engineers designing water pumping systems for Ministries such as
MOHSS, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs (Police Stations).
• Suppliers: Although the service infrastructure for PVPs outside the capital has
improved, it will be beneficial to further increase the turn-around times for PVPs to
become operational after breakdown in order to further alleviate water supply security
concerns of users.
• Suppliers: Investigate warehousing options for RETs, as to be better prepared for
increased demand in PVPs. The experience with Solar Water Heaters has been that
delivery times for SWH systems have become a few months due to increased
demand and the sector has not been responding rapidly enough.
• Theft prevention measures: Inform potential and existing users of PVPs what
measures can be employed for avoiding or reducing the risk of theft. Make use of
existing information channels such as the Agricultural Unions, the radio and the
internet.
The key messages that need to be shared with selected stakeholders is that for average
pumping applications:
• The capital cost of PVPs in the sub 300 Wpeak range is similar or lower than diesel
pumps.
• The cheaper operating costs of PVP leads to significantly lower life cycle costing of
the PVP option up to a hydraulic load of 4,000m 4 /day below 120m head.
• Diesel pumps which deliver low volumes at low head are costly due to poor load
factor and higher per kW fuel consumption. A PVP of the same daily delivery will
have a lower initial capital cost than the diesel pumping system.
• Flexible hybrid pumping options are available to allow for higher daily water
requirements, which are able to operate on solar as well as diesel/petrol generators.
• The sector needs to utilise robust technology which is not always the case. This
applies to both PVP and DP, both of which offer a range of quality of products. The
poorer quality products require more frequent maintenance intervals and have shorter
life expectancy.
• Using PVP for critical water supplies (noting that almost all water supplies are critical)
requires higher levels of redundancy. Considering that the PVP has a life cycle cost
which is always less than the equivalent diesel pumping option for the systems
modelled here there are sufficient “funds” to provide spare parts as well as critical
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