IMPLEMENTATION OF A SOLAR–HYDRO HYBRID SYSTEM FOR POWERING WATER PUMPS IN A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL FARM

In the context of rising electricity costs and the increasing impact of climate change, modern agriculture faces major challenges in ensuring reliable water and energy resources, particularly in isolated rural areas. Irrigation systems require a secure and continuous energy supply; however, access to the electrical grid is often limited or unstable. The aim of this paper is to analyze, size, and evaluate the energy, economic, and environmental performance of a hybrid solar–hydro energy system designed to supply water pumps in an organic agricultural farm. The methodology includes mathematical modeling of the system components, simulation of system operation in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, and performance analysis based on a real case study—the EcoVerd organic farm. The results demonstrate that the hybrid system, consisting of a 4.8 kW photovoltaic installation, a 1.5 kW micro-hydropower unit, and a 9.6 kWh energy storage system, fully meets the energy demand of a 2.2 kW irrigation pump. System implementation leads to an approximately 95% reduction in energy costs, annual savings of up to €3,885, a payback period of less than four years, and the avoidance of approximately 1.8 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.