SunEdison (NYSE:SUNE), a solar technology and products company, has announced the launch of the Solar Water Pump specially designed for the agriculture sector.

This solar photo-voltaic-based water pump is aimed at addressing the requirement in the farm sector providing a reliable irrigation without dependence on expensive diesel fuel or intermittent electrical power supply.

Pashupathy Gopalan, President, SunEdison, Asia Pacific, GCC and South Africa, in a statement said, “Our solar water pumps empower farmers to grow cash crops that require predictable irrigation and enable them to utilise land that they previously could not irrigate.”

The SunEdison solar water pumps have been designed by R&D teams in California, USA and Bangalore.

According to a study by IIT Bombay, effective irrigation can lead to a significant increase in yield. Solar water pumps can result in improved yields and can even provide an additional crop each year, enhancing food security.

Solar pumps also benefit electricity supply companies and surrounding communities by reducing strain on the grid. Intended for use in rural environments, these pumps feature rugged structural design, and are available in 3HP (horsepower), 5HP, 7.5HP and 10HP variants, the statement added.

SunEdison solar pumping systems are designed with an intelligent pump controller that continuously monitors power available from solar PV modules and drives a high-efficiency 3-phase AC pump at variable speeds to use every watt of power available and provide water through out the day.

rishikumar.vundi@thehindu.co.in