EVALUATION USING SOLAR ENERGY FOR OPERATING DISK MOWER IN ONE OF NEW VALLEY FARMS

Abstract

The present study have been carried out to develop an electrical “solar” powered mower (12 voltages battery charged from a photovoltaic solar plant) by modifying a gasoline-powered brush cutter to be a trail to overcome the shortage and high cost of fossil fuels and its negative effect on the environment by reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The main results obtained from the preliminary and performance test can be summarized under the following: Morphological properties of tested plants The plant avearage stalk height was 75; 82 and 32 cm for alfalfa; clover and grass respectively.while the plant stalk diameter was; 4; 3 and 1.9 mm. for the same plants respectively. On the other hand the plant density was ranged between 6000 to mor than 12000 plant/m2 for the three tested plant; and the moisture containts for the plants during the mowing operation was ranged between 79 to 93 %. The relation between the plant type, stalk diameter with the cutting force; (N). The highest cutting force recorded with Alfalfa stalk were 130, 112.6 and 80.5 N. when the stalk diameter were 4; 2.9 and 1.9 mm respectively; while the lowest cutting force recorded with grass were 18.6, 17.3 and 14.7 N. when the stalk diameter were 2; 1.25 and 0.5 mm respectively. It means that there was a direct proportion between cutting force and plant diameter. On the other hand the cutting force recorded with clover were 65.8; 63.4 and 21.4N when the stalk diameter were 4.7; 3.35 and 2 mm respectively. Performance rate. The highest perfomance rate was ( 0.127 fed/h) recorded with the grass at the lowest plant density 6000 plant/m2 when the disc speed was 9000 r.p.m. while the lowest performance rate was (0.067 fed/h.) recorded