Abstract

Nigeria located in the tropical region of the world receives about 1680 – 2264 kWh/m2 solar irradiation daily. Despite this enormous resource, the country citizenry is subjected to electricity blackout from the power generating companies due to different problems that entail in its generation and distribution. Rural farm settlements experience difficulties when it comes to irrigating farmlands since they are off-grid of national electricity supply. Solar radiations possess usable energy, therefore there lies potential in the use of solar energy to generate electrical power that can be used to power water pumps. This work looked at the possibility of utilizing solar energy for the generation of power through the use of photovoltaic cells. A system was designed for the generation of electrical power (direct current) from solar panels which can then be converted to alternating current to draw water from a water source for irrigation of farmlands.