Kuwaiti student harnesses solar power in sprinkler system

Manama: A Kuwaiti high school student has managed to harness solar power and use it to run an irrigation system using sprinklers.

The application aimed at reducing power consumption of irrigation systems and at best managing water resources, Saleh Mahdi Bu Salha told Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) on Monday.

The innovation stores solar power into batteries which in turn run a sprinkler irrigation system's units strategically placed across a farm or field, he said.

"This allows the maximum use of the hot weather and strong sunshine in Kuwait while saving water."

The device comes at a low cost and has many applications for beach facilities, parks, and recreational areas, as well as walking and exercise paths across the country. The sprinklers could have a cooling function instead of irrigation, he said.

The actual trial of the device was at the student's family farm in Al Wafra and proved cost-efficient.

"The reduction of electric power consumption translated into great savings," Saleh said. "The entire trial, from design to actual installation and assessment of operation, took about two years, and the project won a prize among the best designs at the recent Kuwait scientific invention contest and exhibition," he said, quoted by Kuna.