Costs of diesel for irrigation systems are increasing sharply due to the lack of availability of diesel in the markets. Moreover, the use of diesel fuel is also more expensive in the “new lands” due to the remoteness of desert farms. Taking into account the costs of transportation of diesel, maintenance and overhauling of generators, using diesel will no longer be economically feasible or affordable for those farms in the near future. At the same time, Nigeria’s exporters lose competitiveness in the international market due to crop losses that were caused by lack of irrigation. High CO2 emissions, immense diesel spills into the soil and risky long distance transportation of diesel to the farms are just a few ecological downsides of diesel operated water pumps. This makes the use of solar energy sources vital to the development of our country’s agricultural sector.
Solar irrigation system is defined as a system that distributes water to targeted area using solar energy. Basically, it is meant for agriculture purposes. .The system is powered by solar system as a renewable energy which uses solar panel module to convert Sunlight into electricity. The system is powered by an intelligent solar system in which solar panel targets the radiation from the Sun. Other than that, the solar system has reduced energy cost as well as pollution. The system is equipped with four input sensors; two soil moisture sensors, two level detection sensors. Soil moisture sensor measures the humidity of the soil, whereas the level detection sensors detect the level of water in the tank. The output sides consist of two solenoid valves, which are controlled respectively by two moistures sensors.

 

 

CHAPTER ONE
1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION
Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy in the world. Solar power is not only an answer to today’s energy crisis but also an environmental friendly form of energy. Photovoltaic generation is an efficient approach for using the solar energy.
Solar panels (an array of photovoltaic cells) are nowadays extensively used for running street lights, for powering water heaters and to meet domestic loads. The cost of solar panels has been constantly decreasing which encouragesits usage in various sectors.

One of the applications of this technology is used in irrigation systems for farming. Solar powered irrigation system can be a suitable alternative for farmers in the present state of energy crisis in Nigeria. This is a green way for energy production which provides free energy once an initial investment is made.
In this paper we propose an automatic irrigation system using solar power which drives water pumps to pump water from bore well to a tank and the outlet valve of tank is automatically regulated using controller and moisture sensor to control the flow rate of water from the tank to the irrigation field which optimizes the use of water.

1.1                                         BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Farmers have always played a significant role in our society as they provide the world’s population with food. However, one may forget that, not only do they provide food but they also provide energy, which nowadays, is of paramount importance, especially as in light of renewable energies. Indeed, farmers can produce energy from the wind, the sun or the biomass and they can use it for their own farm, or, if they have a surplus, resell it to companies.
Solar energy might be one of the easiest ways for farmers to produce energy. Indeed, farmers usually have several large buildings whose roofs are directly under the sun, without being hindered by the shadows of the trees, turning them into an ideal place to settle a photovoltaic system. Therefore, the use of solar energy in agriculture is becoming increasingly popular and the energy produced from this renewable source can be used either on the farm or in the local power grid, providing the farmer with an additional income. 
One of the areas in agriculture that benefits the most from solar energy is irrigation, especially in arid regions. The main reason is that using the sun for irrigation represents a virtuous circle: when the sun shines, it feeds the irrigation system, well, we know that crops needs more water when the sun shines a lot. Therefore, a large quantity of energy is available when it is actually needed.

1.2                                             OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
The irrigation system is defined as a system that distributes water to targeted area. Basically, it is meant for agriculture purposes. The efficiency of the irrigation is based on the system used. Since antiquity, the human life is based on agriculture and the irrigation system is one of the tools that boost agriculture. The objective of this work is design a solar powered/ controlled irrigation system. This system is microcontroller-based and quite useful in areas where there is plenty of sunshine. This device was built around pic16f877a microcontroller.

1.3                                                 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
The pumps used for the transport of the water are equipped with solar cells. The solar energy absorbed by the cells is then converted into electrical energy via a generator which then feeds an electric motor driving the pump. Most of the traditional pump systems mainly work with a diesel engine or with the local power grid. However, these two modes of operations present disadvantages compared to solar pumps.

1.4                                         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
In solar-powered systems, it works the other way round, that is, although this system is relatively expensive, the source of energy is free, therefore, after the amortization period, there are no longer operating costs (only the maintenance costs must be considered). Therefore, solar pumps turn out to be a viable long term investment.

1.5                                           LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT
Dealing with the limitation, the only limitation seen in solar irrigation is that:

• The solar-powered pumps but the operating costs are quite high compare to other means of irrigation.
• It cannot work properly when there is no sun shine or during cloudy weather.

1.6                            APPLICATIONS OF THE PROJECT

• The circuit can be used to measure the loss of moisture in the soil over time due to evaporation and intake.
• Minimizes water waste and improves plant growth.
• The circuit is designed to work automatically and hence, there is no need for any human intervention.
• The project is intended for small gardens and residential environment. By using advanced soil moisture sensor, the same circuit can be expanded to large agricultural fields.

 

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