Measurement and verification of the Eskom irrigation pumping standard product programme: evaluation of crop load factors

Abstract

Eskom Integrated Demand Management (IDM) also included irrigation in the Standard Product Programme (SPP) to cater for smaller irrigation Energy Efficient (EE) projects. The irrigation sector is a large energy consumer in South Africa and may have a large EE potential. The unique characteristics of irrigation projects create significant challenges for Measurement and Verification (M&V) under the SPP. Previous M&V studies assessed a large sample of irrigation pumping Variable Speed Drive (VSD) SPP projects. These assessments were conducted to verify project impact availability, project viability and achieved savings credibility. A further study was required to quantify attainable project impacts over the whole project life by incorporating crop Load Factors (LF). This paper focuses specifically on the evaluation and validation of crop LFs as well as its applicability and use in SPP irrigation projects. The evaluation was conducted through a comprehensive crop LF analysis. The aim of this analysis was to determine the typical LF of a large sample of real world pumps and compare these with the Eskom proposed crop LFs