Brazilian solar-powered pivot project transforms agriculture in Sudan

Sudan is the third largest country on the African continent. Bathed by the Nile River, the country has agriculture as its main economic activity – 80% of the Sudanese workforce works in the sector, which accounts for around 40% of the national GDP.

Despite its dominance in the sector, Sudan faces obstacles that hinder the expansion of agriculture – especially the dry and hot desert climate, in the central and northern regions of the country, far from the banks of the river.

As a result, most crops thrive in the southern region, where the tropical climate of forests and savannas allows the cultivation of products such as cotton – the country's main export.

How, then, can we overcome these problems and promote the growth of agriculture in other parts of the territory? Valley Irrigação, a Valmont company, presented the solution – the installation of a photovoltaic plant to power the central pivot, making use of solar energy and eliminating the need for connection to the electricity grid.

Through the work of the Valmont Solar Solutions team, the project resulted in the first Valley pivot outside of Brazil that works 100% using solar energy – installed in the middle of the desert.

"The idea of ​​this pioneering project is to make agricultural production viable in places where this was considered impossible. With the help of the Valmont Solar Solutions team, this idea can be a reality", says general manager, Fábio Yanagui.  

Valley Irrigation is differentiating itself once again by offering a solution that does not require batteries as a secondary power source.

Sunlight is captured and immediately transformed into electrical energy, which in turn is used to keep the pivot and pump running.

"If it weren't for the pivot, it wouldn't be possible to produce in that place, since it's a deserted area with no connection to the electricity grid", says Yanagui, mentioning the project off-grid, that is, it works exclusively without recourse to the electrical grid.

The technological project was made possible by Valley Irrigação and required, above all, international cooperation. Created and developed by the company's R&D sector in Brazil, the pivot was installed by the Sudanese team, under the supervision of engineers from Dubai.

"O know-how of the Valley team in Brazil was essential for the development of this project", says Fábio Mucin, director of operations at Valmont Solar Solutions. "The technical engineering project was created in Brazil and then executed brilliantly by the engineering team in Sudan", said Fabio.

The great importance of the project is that it can set precedents for a precision agricultural revolution in the African country, opening doors for the development of other sustainable solutions in other isolated regions, expanding access to benefits such as irrigation.

"We are expanding the horizons of what it means to have an irrigation pivot. It's not just a tool to irrigate – this new solution is transforming the desert into a prosperous arable area to contribute to the expansion of agricultural production in remote and isolated regions," concludes Fábio Mucin.