Goals

1.To demonstrate that the Smart Solar Gate (also) in Vietnam operate reliably with a failure rate of 1% of the time;
2. To demonstrate that the distribution of water in the irrigation system is enhanced, allowing water efficiency increases by at least 25%;
3. To arouse international interest for the smart solar gate at least 1000 relevant persons employed in the irrigation sector;
4. To scale up the use of the smart solar gate to 500 units in the next 5 years following the demo project.

Details of project plan

This project starts on a small scale and aims for direct involvement of the farmers who are already well organized in a cooperative. This is a necessary precondition for the introduction of new technologies, because without locale support a new technology won’t last. So we deliberately choose a bottom-up approach, with five existing gates in the irrigation system which will be replaced by the Smart Solar Gate. With a top-down approach the risk that farmers do not accept the technology and not use or even sabotage, is significantly.

Impact

This project will positively effect the local hunger and poverty. The Smart Solar Gate enhances the efficiency of irrigation systems and thereby improves both the food and the increased income of farmers. Because the low-technology parts of the gate will also be produced locally, local employment will benefit.

Technologies used

The unique and innovative features of the smart solar gate:
- A central server (The Netherlands) connected to a smart web interface provides centralized control of the local Solar Gates and a central view of the current water distribution;
- The water manager manages the distribution of water through the Web interface;
- The entire hardware, including all solar cells, PLC and telecom equipment is delivered as a prefabricated unit, in widths ranging from 0.5 m to 15 m.
- The electronics are completely designed for use on solar energy. This means that the GPRS communication, controlling and monitoring are designed for energy-efficiency, so the gate continues to work well during long term clouds.
- The actual gate is partially produced locally at low cost and with a sustainable basis for scaling up, management and maintenance;
- Smart software is suitable for both local control (based on measured water levels, as for central control based on water demand, timely rainfall and off shore water levels.