Análise comparativa do custo para aplicação de uma lâmina de irrigação utilizando energia elétrica e diesel

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of electricity and diesel use for application of 1 mm water depth in an area of 1 hectare. The tariff group considered was "B" for low voltage and subgroup "B2 - Rural". The applied tariff rates were obtained from the energy company of Minas Gerais - CEMIG. The value adopted for a liter of diesel fuel was the average observed in the southern region of Minas Gerais in the second semester of 2012. To do the calculation, the overall yields adopted for the whole pump and manometer total elevation were, respectively, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75% and 10, 25, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200 meters of water column. To calculate the total cost of 1mm ha-1 application, it was considered that the cost of energy on irrigation activity represents 65% and 75% for electricity and diesel, respectively. The results showed a linear increase of energy costs by increasing the manometer total elevation. The use of more efficient pump systems reduces the cost of electric power in the range of 7% to 20% and of diesel by 4% to 16% considering the proposed situations. In all cases, the electrical energy is more advantageous regarding the cost.