Jinasena launches solar irrigation systems to boost local agriculture

• New system to double the operational time of a pump

Jinasena Ltd., one of the leading water management systems and solutions providers, has launched a solar irrigation system to provide a timely boost to the country’s agriculture sector.

The Jinasena solar irrigation system comprises a Jinasena water pump, solar panels and an inverter. It can be utilised for any type of plantation and has been engineered in a way that provides a higher performance level than other similar solutions in the market. 

While a normal solar irrigation system in the market generates electricity for a total of 4-5 hours of pumping per day, the Jinasena solution generates sufficient electricity to provide up to 10 hours of pumping per day with 4-5 hours at peak operational efficiency. Such efficiency levels also means that this system can be deployed in the up-country parts of the island where sunlight can be limited due to varying weather conditions.

The Jinasena solar irrigation systems are highly-customisable, very simple to install and has the added advantage of being portable. The company provides a 10-year warranty for the inverters used in the solution while providing a 20-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty for the solar panels. In addition, Jinasena offers a 10-year warranty to each and every solar irrigation system.

The pilot project to irrigate farms and paddy fields in the Kalpitiya area was commissioned by Provincial Minister of Agriculture Sumal Tissera and has received very positive feedback. Additional pilot projects are to be setup in Trincomalee, Kataragama and Nuwara Eliya for farmers to familiarise themselves with this innovative method of pumping water to their farms. In addition to agriculture, the system can be utilised for domestic purposes by adding an overhead tank as well as for industrial use in factories and warehouses.

Senior Engineer (Energy Sector) Jayan Shirantha Mendis stated, “Jinasena solar irrigation systems bring together two of our products where we well versed in – water pumps and solar solutions. It is the perfect solution for a country like Sri Lanka where agriculture plays an important role in the economy and where we have lots of sunshine for large parts of the year.” He added that such sustainable, innovative methods are the best way forward to meet the growing demands of the agriculture industry. “In order to make these systems more accessible to a wider market, we also offer credit cardholders of certain banks the opportunity to purchase the systems on instalment basis with 0% interest,” he added.

Jinasena solar irrigation systems are available through its network of 19 Service Centres located at Colombo, Bandarawela, Buttala, Girandurukotte, Beruwala, Ekala, Avissawella, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Kaduruwela, Tambuttegama, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Ampara, Embilipitiya and Jaffna. All products come with a warranty and a highly-reliable after sales service and ample spare parts.

Founded in 1905, Jinasena Ltd. was the first Ceylonese-owned engineering company and by 1932 was rated among the five leading engineering companies in the island. In 1950, the son of the founder T.S. Jinasena designed and manufactured the first Jinasena Centric Water Pump. It is still the only water pump that is entirely manufactured in Sri Lanka. It continues to enjoy a significant market share in Sri Lanka due to its sturdy construction, proven track record, availability of spare parts and reputable after-sales service. The company also specialises in Water Pumping Solutions, Irrigation Solutions and Water Purifying Solutions, which makes Jinasena one of the few companies that can provide Water Management Solutions (On or off grid) under one roof. In addition, the company is also involved in Renewable Energy solutions and Agricultural Machinery in keeping with its slogan ‘One trusted name and many possibilities’.