The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau

Study region: The NekooAbad Irrigation District in central Iran faces challenges due to inefficient surface water distribution. 82 million m3 of groundwater is extracted annually from 15,000 tube-wells, leading to decreased groundwater levels and increased energy consumption of 234 million kWh per y...

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Main Authors: Dorsa Rahparast, Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany, Ronny Berndtsson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581824003859
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author Dorsa Rahparast
Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany
Ronny Berndtsson
author_facet Dorsa Rahparast
Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany
Ronny Berndtsson
author_sort Dorsa Rahparast
collection DOAJ
description Study region: The NekooAbad Irrigation District in central Iran faces challenges due to inefficient surface water distribution. 82 million m3 of groundwater is extracted annually from 15,000 tube-wells, leading to decreased groundwater levels and increased energy consumption of 234 million kWh per year. Study focus: This study explores implementing automation in surface water distribution to reduce groundwater extraction and conserve energy. A hydraulic simulation model and a centralized Model Predictive Control approach were used to analyze the existing system and propose a recovery plan. The potential impact of automated surface water distribution on reducing groundwater extraction and energy conservation was evaluated through spatial assessment in GIS. New hydrological insights for the region: The results demonstrate that the introduction of automation can significantly improve surface water distribution and, accordingly, groundwater overexploitation and, consequently, energy conservation, particularly during water scarcity. Energy conservation increased by 42.3 %, 54.8 %, 56.2 %, and 57.7 % under normal conditions, with water shortages of less than 10 %, 10–15 %, and 15–20 %, respectively. However, as the surface water shortages intensified, the energy conservation rates decreased to 57.7 %, 43.7 %, 25.4 %, and 18.9 % for normal conditions, water shortages of 15–20 %, 20–30 %, 30–40 %, and over 40 %, respectively. The automation introduction effectively provided reliable surface water resources, prompting farmers to shut down pumping stations or reduce working hours. Even in extreme scenarios, the project achieved up to 18.9 % energy savings.
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spelling doaj-art-66bbb29868a44792bc134fe0dc7996812025-08-20T02:31:03ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182024-12-015610203610.1016/j.ejrh.2024.102036The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid PlateauDorsa Rahparast0Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany1Ronny Berndtsson2Water Engineering Department, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranWater Engineering Department, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding authors.Division of Water Resources Engineering & Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Corresponding authors.Study region: The NekooAbad Irrigation District in central Iran faces challenges due to inefficient surface water distribution. 82 million m3 of groundwater is extracted annually from 15,000 tube-wells, leading to decreased groundwater levels and increased energy consumption of 234 million kWh per year. Study focus: This study explores implementing automation in surface water distribution to reduce groundwater extraction and conserve energy. A hydraulic simulation model and a centralized Model Predictive Control approach were used to analyze the existing system and propose a recovery plan. The potential impact of automated surface water distribution on reducing groundwater extraction and energy conservation was evaluated through spatial assessment in GIS. New hydrological insights for the region: The results demonstrate that the introduction of automation can significantly improve surface water distribution and, accordingly, groundwater overexploitation and, consequently, energy conservation, particularly during water scarcity. Energy conservation increased by 42.3 %, 54.8 %, 56.2 %, and 57.7 % under normal conditions, with water shortages of less than 10 %, 10–15 %, and 15–20 %, respectively. However, as the surface water shortages intensified, the energy conservation rates decreased to 57.7 %, 43.7 %, 25.4 %, and 18.9 % for normal conditions, water shortages of 15–20 %, 20–30 %, 30–40 %, and over 40 %, respectively. The automation introduction effectively provided reliable surface water resources, prompting farmers to shut down pumping stations or reduce working hours. Even in extreme scenarios, the project achieved up to 18.9 % energy savings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581824003859Energy conservationAutomationAgricultural water managementModernizationTube-wells decommissioning
spellingShingle Dorsa Rahparast
Seied Mehdy Hashemy Shahdany
Ronny Berndtsson
The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Energy conservation
Automation
Agricultural water management
Modernization
Tube-wells decommissioning
title The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
title_full The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
title_fullStr The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
title_full_unstemmed The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
title_short The role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy-saving agriculture: A case study from central Iran’s Arid Plateau
title_sort role of automated surface water distribution systems in energy saving agriculture a case study from central iran s arid plateau
topic Energy conservation
Automation
Agricultural water management
Modernization
Tube-wells decommissioning
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581824003859
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