Sustainable Groundwater Management Using Solar Energy

Abstract

Moghra region is one of the areas selected for the "1.5 Million Feddan Land Reclamation Project" in Egypt. It is one of the most promising areas undergoing sustainable development applying solar energy for groundwater (GW) extraction and water transfer. It is located in the North-Eastern corner of the Western Desert, covering an area of about 150,000 Feddan (630 km2). Moghra Aquifer is considered the main water resource for supply water in the promising developing Moghra region. The increasing groundwater demands stress the sustainability of Moghra Aquifer. The present study depended on the data from literature review from most of the previous applied studies on groundwater flow and directions in Moghra aquifer. Best locations for groundwater extraction using PV pump system for the promising areas (Moghra region) depended on a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques. Six data sets were used as an input as the main thematic layers. These layers are; GW salinity, depth to GW, topography (slope-aspect), solar radiation, accessibility and land-use. A weighted overlay model has been developed that includes