Browsing by Author "Shika, Seemole Sergio"

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    Performance assessment of solar-powered groundwater pumping systems in rural areas of Greater Giyani Municipality (Limpopo, South Africa)
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Shika, Seemole Sergio
    The installation of solar-powered groundwater pumping systems in rural South Africa can mitigate the impacts of climate change by improving water security and agricultural productivity, which contributes to sustainable adaptive water management solutions for regions in drought conditions. The aim of the research was to assess the performance of solar-powered groundwater pumping systems at nine rural pilot sites in Greater Giyani Municipality: five small-holder farms and four villages supplied with drinking water. The objectives were: (i) to determine the water volumes abstracted and supplied from solar-powered groundwater pumping systems and evaluate the pump discharge rates; (ii) to analyze the longevity of the power supply system making use of solar panels; (iii) to evaluate the quality of groundwater distributed by solar-powered groundwater systems; and (iv) to assess the socio-economic benefits of the solar-powered groundwater pumping systems. The method entailed quantifying the following performance indicators: (i) weather conditions (acquiring daily weather data and rainfall); (ii) water abstraction (monitoring daily abstracted groundwater volumes, groundwater levels and pumping efficiency); (iii) solar power supply (measuring voltage from the control box weekly); (iv) source water quality (weekly and quarterly); and (v) socio-economic indicators (number of people supplied with water in villages; farm biophysical and economic water productivity). The results demonstrated no major groundwater drawdown, the discharge rates ranged between 0.355 – 2.54 L/s, the average daily volume abstracted ranged between 6- 55 m3; the power supply was 128 – 368 V and there were no major changes in groundwater quality over time with occasional naturally occurring elevated nitrate and electrical conductivity recorded across all pilot sites.