A Comparison of Decentralized Minigrids and Dispersed Diesels for Irrigation Pumping in Sahelian Africa

A key ingredient in the expansion of agricultural output in many developing countries is the availability of reliable and cost-effective energy supplies for irrigation. Such supplies are also fundamental to any strategy to stimulate rural economic development. This paper compares the costs of water pumping through the use of commonly-used, small diesel-driven pumpsets versus a decentralized generator connected to a small electrified grid. An example representative of irrigated cropping systems found in the Senegal River Basin is used to compare costs. The results show that pumping costs from a decentralized power supply and minigrid are roughly comparable with those of direct-drive diesel pumpsets. Further, excess capacity would be available to provide power for small industries and other rural needs. In many sparsely populated rural locations where low capacity factors make central grid extension uneconomic, a minigrid with a guaranteed load of irrigation pumping can be an attractive alternative for providing power for rural development.