The impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent every year, especially in the semi-arid areas where rainfed agriculture is at risk. Water scarcity is a major challenge for farmers worldwide, but the use of solar-powered pumps can provide a sustainable solution.

To address this topic, the EU Tech Chamber (EUTECH) Energy Alliance organized a webinar on March 09, 2023. The topic under discussion was, “Supplying Water to Agricultural Areas through Solar Energy”.

The webinar started off with an opening speech by Dr. Igor V. Gladkov who is the coordinator of the Energy Alliance. Next, we had our moderator Mr. Nasrullah Ali who gave a short overview of the organization and a formal introduction of the panelists.

The webinar commenced with our first panelist, Mr. Thomas Rieger, CEO of Solarkiosks Solutions GmbH. Second in line was Mr. Giuseppe Gregu, Senior Project Officer at Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership. Then, we had Mr. Rick Sheridan, Founder of Sunny Irrigation, and last but not the least we had Mr. Titus GAKWAYA, CEO and MD TK-Engineering & Agrotechnology Ltd, Rwanda.

While addressing the webinar, the speakers highlighted some challenges that need to be addressed. These include high upfront costs and lack of finance, dependence on weather conditions, water availability and technical expertise for system sizing. Limited access to water resources and lack of government support were also raised as concerns.

In addition, the panelists highlighted several benefits of using solar energy for supplying water to agricultural areas. These include cost reduction in irrigation, increased crop yields, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved efficiency.

We want to thank our experienced speakers for their informed insights on this topic. Moreover, special thanks to Dr. Igor Gladkov and Mr. Nasrullah Ali for moderating the webinar and distributing Tree-Certificates to the panelists.

Above all, sincere thanks to all our attendees – your comments, compliments, and questions. Stay tuned for our next Energy Alliance webinar!

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