An approach to costs and energy consumption in private urban Spanish Mediterranean landscapes from a simplified model in sprinkle irrigation

Abstract

The number of private gardens has increased in recent years, creating a more pleasant urban model, but not without having an environmental impact, including increased energy consumption, which is the focus of this study. The estimation of costs and energy consumption for the generic typology of private urban gardens is based on two simplifying assumptions: square geometry with surface areas from 25 to 500 m2 and hydraulic design with a single pipe. In total, eight sprinkler models have been considered, along with their possible working pressures, and 31 pumping units grouped into 5 series that adequately cover the range of required flow rates and pressures, resulting in 495 hydraulic designs repeated for two climatically different locations in the Spanish Mediterranean area (Girona and Elche). Mean total irrigation costs for the locality with lower water needs (Girona) and greater needs (Elche) were € 2,974 ha-1 yr-1 and € 3,383 ha-1 yr-1, respectively. Energy costs accounted for 11.4% of the total cost for the first location, and 23.0% for the second. While a suitable choice of the hydraulic elements of the setup is essential, as it may provide average energy savings of 77%, due to the low energy cost in relation to the cost of installation, the potential energy savings do not constitute a significant incentive for the irrigation system design. The low efficiency of the pumping units used in this type of garden is the biggest obstacle and constraint to achieving a high quality energy solution.

Water management assessment in a historic garden: the case study of the Real Alcazar (Seville, Spain)

“…Not much information on costs has been found in gardening. As an example, Arbat et al (2013) analyzed nearly 500 private gardens in two Spanish cities, obtaining a range of MOM a costs between 0. and .6 €•m -2 . In the case of The Alcazar, energy only represents 4% of total costs, a very low value considering that Arbat et al (2013) observed a range of 3.5-22.8 % of energy over total costs.…”

Calibrating a flow model in an irrigation network: Case study in Alicante, Spain

“…Currently, the management of water distribution networks (WDNs) is increasingly based on use of models as decision support tools, particularly in performance and energy efficiency implications (Rodriguez-Diaz et al, 2010;Arbat et al, 2013;Cabrera et al, 2014). When different database and mathematical algorithms are combined, these hydraulic models are an useful tool to analyze WDNs, if these models are properly calibrated.…”

Environmental impacts of irrigated and rain-fed barley production in Iran using life cycle assessment (LCA)

“…All the farm inputs, e.g. fertilizers, chemicals and mechanization infrastructures utilize some forms of energy indirectly for formulation, storage and distribution (Fluck & Baird, 1980;Dyer & Desjardins, 2006;Arbat et al, 2013). Human activities play a key role in total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which the global food system is responsible for around one third of all (Gilbert, 2012;Houshyar et al, 2012) while cropping systems contribute to 14% of the global net CO 2 emissions (Cooper et al, 2011).…”