In July 2021 Shine Water & Serviços, secured a MZN850,000.00 (approximately USD13,500.00) loan to install a solar system for the supply of drinking water to 100 customers in FAO/Nhumbane community, Marracuene district of Maputo province. This was through the BCI credit line fund implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization- UNIDO, BCI bank, and FUNAE under the Towards Sustainable Energy for all in Mozambique (TSE4ALLM) project with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
In the past the company solely depended on a water supply system powered by the utility grid which often resulted in various challenges including limited supply of water caused by frequent disruptions of electricity supply, high operational costs, and equipment failures caused by the instability of the electrical grid.
“We used to receive water only twice a day but this changed with the adoption of another system that does not only depend of electricity, we now receive water 24 hours a day”, Female SWS client.
The installation process of the water supply system entailed, the placement of a submersible solar powered pump that extracts water stored in deposits of 10,000litre tanks in towers with an elevation of 12 meters high, which is subsquently distributed to consumers.
Besides supplying water to households, the Shine Water solar powered water supply system expanded its reach to cover health centres, schools, construction brick laying sites, and subsistence horticultural gardens. According to community members, most residents of FAO/Nhumbane locality (90% women) depend on the income generated from the selling of vegetables and fruits produced from their subsistence gardens and reliable 24 hours per day water supply is necessary for increased productivity, and thus more income generation
Shine Water & Serviços LDA, continues to remain at the forefront in providing a reliable solution to the water supply related challenges that the of FAO/Nhumbane community faces. “In a month’s period we shall have a fully-fledged solar powered water supply system installed and more clients accessing water 24 hours a day” Mr. Aly Mussagy- CEO Shine Water, LDA
The company’s clientele has grown from 20 in January to 50 customers currently, with an average consumption of 500.00 meticais that corresponds to an average monthly revenue of 25,000.00 meticais. It is hoped that water will be supplied to more 50 house holds in the coming 6 months.
90% of Mozambican rural population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods. The methods used for cultivation are in most cases rudimental and do not yield sufficient produce for income generation and subsistence consumption.
UNIDO through the Towards Sustainable Energy for All in Mozambique (TSE4ALLM) project works towards promoting the dissemination of integrated renewable energy systems (RE) in a market-based approach for productive activities in rural areas of Mozambique
SUPERKWICK LDA cultivates a wide range of crops including macadamia, cashew, beans, and vegetables on a 10ha farm in Macia Bilene, in Mozambique. The company received funds through the BCI SUPER credit line and recently installed a solar system capable of generating 2515W of power to enable the pumping of water for irrigation of macadamia, cashew, rice, bean crops farms
“1 macadamia tree consumes 20 litres of water per day. The installation of the solar-powered submersible water pumps enables sufficient and reliable supply of water all year round” ---Aldo Bauque
In this article Miss Sheila Macia, SUPERKWICK’s field activities’ coordinator explains how the sprinkler irrigation system powered by solar energy is used.
What is the Sprinkler irrigation system?
Sprinkler irrigation is a method of applying irrigation water which is similar to natural rainfall. Water is distributed through a system of pipes usually by pumping. It is then sprayed into the air through sprinklers so that it breaks up into small water drops which fall to the ground.
Sprinklers are small sized emitters that distribute water in the form of rain with a 90% efficiency rate. “We use the micro-sprinkler irrigation system for irrigating the macadamia plants and this is determined by the hydric needs of each plant, which is 20 litres per day” Since the system requires high and continuous power supply to enable the pumping of water which is consequently sprayed to the entire field, solar energy was found to be the most efficient and reliable source of energy for this purpose.1 hectare of macadamia orchard contains 300 trees. The spacing used is 8*4m (8 metres between plants and 4 metres between rows). Each row contains 12 trees and 1 hectare contains 25 rows. The number of rows to be watered varies according to the pressure and slope of the land. But on average at least 6 rows are watered simultaneously
Mounting of the irrigation system using micro sprinklers
The assembling of the system is done according to the orientation of the land as well as the water source. To assemble the system, pipes, emitters, sprinkler heads, valves, and reduction joints are the materials needed.
Advantages of the sprinkler irrigation system
The Sprinkler Irrigation Systems ensures reliability, uniform distribution of water with high efficiency, high quality, affordability, ease of installation and maximum water saving. Besides, it is affordable and completely easy to set up. There is no need of spending much on labor costs for setting it up. In addition, Soluble fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides can be added in water before distributing to the crops.
What are the challenges of using the sprinkler irrigation system?
Despite the enormous advantages, using the sprinkler irrigation system also comes with some challenges. The initial cost of setting up the system is high, the water must be clean and free of sand, debris and dissolve salts, and, it cannot be used in windy climate. In addition, Fruits/crops/vegetables can be damaged due to excessive water, and requires high and continuous power supply.
In 2021, the rural electricity access rate was estimated at about 8%, against 72% in urban areas of Mozambique. Whereas The country aims to achieve universal electricity access by 2030, energy access remains low with significant rural-urban disparities. Recognizing the need to adapt the legal framework of the electricity sector to the current social, technical and financial dynamics, as well as to the objectives of sustainable development, the Parliament in a plenary session on 30th March, 2022 approved the coming into force of the Electricity Law.
On 11th July, 2022, Law No 12/2022 was published following its enactment by President Filipe Nyusi. The purpose of this law is to define the general organization of the of the electric power sector and the legal regime of the activities of the supply of electrical energy. Most importantly, the new law underscores energy transition consistent with the reality of the country and universal access to quality, efficient and reliable energy, taking advantage of all energy sources, with emphasis on renewable energy sources and the reduction in the use of fossil sources.
The legislation governs the operation of the electric power system and general rules applicable to the production, transmission, distribution and sales activities, including imports and exports, with a view to providing more citizens with access to electricity. The new further, makes room for private investment in the import and export of electricity, electricity consumption, and energy services.
The Towards Sustainable Energy for All- Mozambique (TSE4ALLM) project applauds the government’s bold decision to enact and publish the new Electricity Law as step toward ensuring universal access to electricity by 2030. The project continues to support the market-based adoption of integrated renewable energy systems by advocating for a conducive policy and regulatory environment that promotes the involvement of the private sector in the development of integrated Renewable Energy systems for rural areas of Mozambique.
