Many MindedBRAC's Ponkhiraj puts a solar irrigation pump on three wheels
BRAC International, a global development organization, has built a solar-powered irrigation vehicle called Ponkhiraj, named after a flying horse in Bangladeshi folklore. It is still in development: BRAC is building more units and says it aims to bring the technology to other developing countries.
The vehicle is a modified electric version of the Tempu, a passenger and cargo hauler widely used in Bangladesh, so it can travel narrow rural roads between farms. When parked, 3.3-kW monocrystalline solar panels fold out to both sides. They power a 3-hp pump through a hybrid controller. The pump draws from a nearby canal or lake and can deliver up to 60,000 liters (15,850 US gallons) per hour to fields. BRAC says there is no toxic exhaust or carbon, and the batteries can double as a mobile power hub.
The need is plain. Farmers in Bangladesh pump water each dry season, and BRAC says more than 80% of those pumps run on diesel, almost all of it imported. With fuel prices spiking during the current US-Israel-Iran conflict, many farmers cannot afford diesel at all. BRAC claims Ponkhiraj can irrigate about 1 hectare (2.5 acres) per day for roughly 80 cents, against about US$8 for a diesel pump. If that holds, the running cost of watering a field falls sharply, and sunlight replaces a fuel that farmers must buy abroad. A vehicle that moves between farms may also let one machine serve several fields.
The caveats matter. The cost figures are BRAC's own claims and have not been independently verified. There are no published production numbers, no vehicle price, and no timeline for expansion abroad. Watch for field results from independent users and for what the vehicle costs to buy or rent.
Source: New Atlas