Affordable Perovskite Solar Irrigation Systems for Small-holder Farmers in Ethiopia (APSISSFE)

8500多万埃塞俄比亚人依靠雨水灌溉的农业为生。气候变化正在增加小农户的脆弱性和贫困，其中21%是女性负责人。然而，在埃塞俄比亚，妇女承担了大约40%的农业活动。埃塞俄比亚合作伙伴在该项目中的研究表明，提供小型太阳能水泵来灌溉蔬菜和经济作物是一种非常有效的手段，可以提高对气候引起的压力和冲击的复原力，加强家庭粮食安全，生产经济作物，减少妇女的劳动，并最终使其能够摆脱贫穷循环。不幸的是，这样的灌溉系统目前超出了大多数农民的承受能力。我们建议通过以下方式将太阳能灌溉系统的成本降低到埃塞俄比亚小农可以承受的水平：(I)推进提高卤化物钙钛矿型光伏电池性能和稳定潜力所需的科学；(Ii)根据埃塞俄比亚小农的精确要求，通过显著提高水泵电力电子电机驱动的效率来定制所需的工程；我们建议，卤化铅钙钛矿是一种理想的新兴太阳能技术，能够在埃塞俄比亚以相对较低的成本印刷在轻质、灵活的衬底上，从而实现社区级太阳能灌溉系统的包容性制造。在这里，我们专注于解决目前阻碍其商业应用的钙钛矿型太阳能电池的关键界面损失和稳定性问题。与此同时，我们将利用先进的电力电子技术开发模块化和可扩展的太阳能逆变器，并为浅层地下水位的小型农场精确设计水泵，从而加强灌溉系统的工程设计。将在埃塞俄比亚部署太阳能灌溉系统，以确保社会经济和环境的适宜性，并为系统在当地进行大规模工程提供平台。这项提议是一项创新和独特的前沿实验科学和系统工程研究方案，与促进埃塞俄比亚的经济发展和福利直接相关。该跨学科项目将探讨卤化物钙钛矿界面的一些中心结构-组成-性质问题及其与系统的整合，这将汇集申请者的互补专业知识，并将利用英国在国际上具有竞争力和在许多方面处于国际领先地位的技术。PI、Co-IS和项目合作伙伴在各自领域拥有强大的国内和国际声誉，并在提供最高质量的研究方面取得了令人印象深刻的记录。

Over 85 million Ethiopians depend on rain-fed agriculture. Climate change is increasing vulnerability and poverty amongst small-holder farmers, 21% of whom are female headed. However, women are responsible for about 40% of agricultural activities in Ethiopia. Research by Ethiopian partners in this project shows that the provision of small, solar-powered water pumps to irrigate vegetables and cash crops is a highly effective means of increasing resilience to climate-induced stresses and shocks, enhancing household food security, producing of cash crops, reducing women's labour, and ultimately enabling escape from the poverty cycle. Unfortunately, such irrigation systems are presently beyond the means of most farmers.We propose to drop the cost of solar irrigation systems to a level affordable for Ethiopian small-holder farmers by: (i) advancing the science required to increase the performance and stability potential of halide perovskite photovoltaics (PV) cells; (ii) customizing the engineering required by significantly enhancing the efficiency of power electronic motor drive for pumps to the precise requirements of Ethiopian smallholders; and (iii) taking an Inclusive Innovation approach to co-designing the whole system with end-users to ensure that it is locally-appropriate and effectively reduces women's work.We propose that the lead halide perovskites constitute an ideal emerging solar power technology to enable inclusive manufacture in Ethiopia of community-level solar powered irrigation systems because these materials can be printed at relatively low-cost on lightweight, flexible substrates. Here, we focus on solving critical interface loss and stability issues in perovskite solar cells that currently inhibit their commercial deployment. Concomitant with this, we will enhance the engineering of the irrigation system by developing modular and scalable solar inverters using advanced power electronic technologies and precisely designing the pump for small farms with shallow water tables. The solar powered irrigation system will be deployed in Ethiopia to ensure socio-economic and environmental appropriateness and provide a platform for scaled local engineering of the systems.This proposal represents an innovative and unique programme of leading-edge experimental science and systems engineering studies, which are of direct relevance to enhancing economic development and welfare in Ethiopia. The interdisciplinary project will explore some of the central structure-composition-property issues of halide perovskite interfaces and their integration into systems, which brings together the complementary expertise of the applicants and will exploit techniques in which the UK is internationally competitive and in many aspects internationally leading. The PI, Co-Is and project partners have strong national and international reputations in their fields and an impressive track record in delivering research of the highest quality.