According to the global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright, the country expects 42% of its total energy sources to come from solar, wind and hydroelectric sources by 2020.  “We are at the avante-garde of solar,” Maha el-Kadiri, spokesperson of the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency (Masen) told The Guardian.

Taking the initiative to invest in his country, Ismail Bouhamidi, a young Moroccan from Errachidia with a Diploma in Agricultural Engineering, brought his innovation, “Fellah PRO”, to life.

Renewable energy and agriculture: a winning combination:

Established in May 2016, Fellah PRO specializes in the sale and consulting of renewable energy in the agricultural sector through providing irrigation solutions to farmers through its innovative floating solar water pumps. The system of floating solar panels allows the sustainable and ecological use of unused stretches of water in order to exploit the radiative energy of the sun.

“Our pumps can pump flows that reach 200 cubic meters per day. It thus responds in a sustainable manner to the problems of landscape conflict and land use and allows to retain land that can be destined for other functions such as agriculture, mining, tourism, and town planning,” Bouhmidi added.

“The floating solar water pump is affordable, highly efficient and is customized according to the needs of the farmer. Fellah PRO also provides complete end-to-end supply and installation, and has a number of technical innovations,” says Yasmine Berrada, a project manager at “Espace Bidaya”, an incubator for social and green startups in Casablanca.

“The two that stand out are their customized approach in designing the solar water pumps that give the best value to the farmers, and an innovative remote control system for monitoring its solar water pumps,” Berrada said. “This control is in the form of an iPhone App and allows FellahPRO to offer ‘a ‘fee-for-service’ model along with its regular sales model. This product ensures that the small farmers receive a product that serves their needs in terms of size and affordability,” she added.

Fellah PRO products can be classified under three main services. The first pertains to agricultural equipment such as tractors, harvesting equipment, and spraying equipment. The second is the construction of fences on farms and agricultural land. The third is solar photovoltaic (PV) pumping installation in order to develop farmers’ agricultural activities in Morocco.

Farmers can now cultivate crops and solar energy:

The Fellah PRO team accentuates the advantages farmers will get from installing solar PV pumps in agricultural areas. “The solar panels system operates in total autonomy, which grants farmers free access to water, without the constraint of supply of oil or gas to operate,” Bouhmaidi explained.

Not only is the installation of these solar panels cost-effective, but the return on investment is after two to four years. Additionally, farmers will get grants from the Ministry of Agriculture.

“Fellah PRO offers very affordable pricing through its ‘fee-for-service’ model for the installation and maintenance of the solar PV systems. Thereby they move away from a capital-expense model to an operating-expense setup favorable for small farmers,” Berrada highlighted.

Integrating technology in agriculture:

To keep up with the IT revolution of this era, Fellah PRO has developed remote monitoring and control systems that help farmers control their water pumps through an iPhone or Android mobile app. “This phenomenal application will not only facilitate water control but also raise awareness of young people about the alternative sources of energy at their disposal,” says Bouhmaidi.

“Fellah PRO ensures high-quality service support ensuring that the systems last out for a long time. The after-sales service is supported by qualified technicians. It also provides high-quality service support, ensuring that the system last the duration promised (guarantees of up to 25 years for photovoltaic panels, 2 years for solar pumps). In a number of cases, FellahPRO trains a partner organization for servicing as well as installations. The company also educates the farmers on the best use of the water pumps and ensures a high level of troubleshooting expertise is developed within the community,“ Berrada confirms.

Today, Fellah PRO aims to expand its reach through installing photovoltaic devices all over Morocco. Convinced that quality is the key to the economic profitability of an investment, the company has chosen to represent the leading companies in their fields of expertise in order to offer their clients the most innovative and efficient products.

Website: http://fellahpro.esy.es/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FellahPRO/

Photos: Courtesy of Fellah PRO