Toolbox for Experts
Invest
Farm Analysis
Assessment of on-farm Productivity and Profitability
This tool allows for the assessment of on-farm productivity and profitability through its average annual agricultural production. The tool is useful for establishing a baseline or assessing the impact of planned investments. This tool allows an SPIS advisor (supplier, development practitioner, extension officer) to support a farm enterprise towards identify unnecessary costs, determine best value agricultural activities and correctly monetize different farm inputs.
This tools provides an indicative assessment of farm profitability and should be complemented by deeper and more detailed assessments, market analysis, and other due diligence, before committing to large-scale investments.
This tool comprises the following sheets:
- Equipment & Assets: Available devices or those which are planned to purchase in future
- Income: Add sales of seasonal crops (e.g. rice, maize), perennial crops (e.g. fruits), livestock and respective by-products as well as additional income such as the sale of water or rental of equipment
- Financing: Calculates annual loan repayment based on credit information
- Costs: Add all fixed and variable costs & expenditures of the farm enterprise
- Income: Automatic calculation on gross profitability of the farm enterprise
The tool also offers a «Quick-Check» for a first rough estimation on the profitability of a farm and a sheet in which «Crop and Livestock Prices» can be calculated.
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 1.1mb
Safeguard Water
Water Requirement
Water requirement for Crops and Livestock
This tool serves to calculate the water requirement for crops and livestock according to the geographic position, climatic data, and rainfall patterns at the Solar-Powered Irrigation System (SPIS) location. The tool compromises these sheets:
- Geographic Data: Add basic site information and climatic data
- Crop Water Requirement: Select crops and planting periods to automatically get a calculation of crop water requirements and irrigation water need
- Household & Livestock Water Requirement: Estimate household water need; add the type and number of livestock and get an automatic calculation of the water requirement for all livestock
- Summary: Get the total summary of crop and livestock water need
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 2.1mb
Deasign
Pump Sizing
Pumping Head, PV-modules & Pump Technology
This tool allows for the calculation of pumping head, the required solar PV module capacity and selects suitable pump technologies.
This tool provides an indicative sizing for pumping systems and should be compared and discussed with system providers before committing to large-scale investments.
These sheets are available in the tool:
- Head Calculation: Add various values relevant for calculating the total pumping head, including friction losses from the irrigation system
- Pressure Pump Loss: Information and calculation on pressure loss due to piping and fittings from pump
- Irrigation Pressure Loss: Information and calculation on pressure loss due to piping and fittings from the irrigation system
- Results: Overview of core assumptions and sizing results for SPIS
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 6.1mb
Invest
Payback
Assessment of Turnover for Different Pumping Options
This tool allows for a comparative assessment between income and three different irrigation pumping options. Information required for using this tool includes investment and operational costs for the different pumping systems, anticipated income from agricultural production, and basic economic conditions (e.g. inflation rate).
Please use the Water Requirement Tool to calculate the total water need per day and the Farm Analysis Tool to calculate total income per year. (For both tools see above)
The tool compromises these sheets:
- Input: Enter data of anticipated income and expenditure for pumping and irrigation technology from the other EXCEL-tools (Farm Analysis, Pump Sizing, Water Requirement)
- Output: Get an automatic analysis of results generated from the input sheet
- Summary: Get an overview on the rentability (break-even) related to solar-powered irrigation systems
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 0.7mb
Irrigate
Soil
Irrigation Schedules based on Soil Types
This tool serves to determine your soil profile and to find an irrigation schedule for a selected crop. It complements the «Water Requirement Tool». These sheets are available:
- Geographical Data: Add basic site information and climatic data
- Soil Texture: Perform a test of your soil and calculate your soil type
- Irrigation Schedule: Select a crop and a planting period an for automatic calculation of water requirement and irrigation schedule
- Summary: Compiled outputs for irrigation quantity and frequency as well as water storage requirements
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 1.4mb
Checklist
Workmanship & Maintenance
Quality of Installation and Maintenance
This checklist allows for the identification of workmanship related issues of an SPIS installation. It is designed for SPIS clients and agricultural extension agents who want to verify the quality of workmanship for an SPIS installation.
The checklist helps to assess if the quality of installation adheres to best practices, safety requirements and overall installation sustainability. The tool also gives valuable advices on the aspects which should be kept in mind when establishing a sustainable maintentance.
It does not replace the detailed component compliance, performance verification and workmanship checklist of the installer or an external inspector.
This tool is in a checklist format and can be completed by simply entering text and values into corresponding cells. It contains no critical formulas or calculations.
[Version 6.0, August 2024, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic] – 34.2mb (!)
UseFul to know
Dedicated expertise is needed to use the EXCEL-Tools sensefully and to get realistic results. First of all you should be familiar with the use of the software itself and use an up-to-date version of EXCEL. Even more important is that you know what to insert into the various fields and where to get the correct data which are required.
The following FAQ lists some tips and tricks which are necessary to deal with the tools.
You should identify yourself to allow us a rough estimate of how many experts download and use to updated EXEL-Toolkit. GIZ/WE4F declares formally that none of your personal data will be used for third-party purposes
In default, all sheets are protected to prevent from any unwanted changes. The password to unlock a sheet is «PowerAg». Please be sure to use the correct spelling including upper and lower cases.
Yes. Originally, the Toolbox consisted of 16 EXCEL-tools. Only the above listed tool have been updated in 2024 to a revised and multilingual version. The «old» tool in version 4 are available from https://energypedia.info/wiki/SPIS_Toolbox-Download
Please proceed to the section «Toolbox-Resources» of this website you find the handbook and other all other related documents and screencasts.
Yes, all updated tools are available in 4 languages (Englisch, French, Spanish, Arabic). To change into another language, please use the «Select language» choice with is located at the top of the READ-ME pages in every of the above listed tools.
For the multilanguage option to work properly, do NOT delete any sheet.
Yes, it is absolutely required to allow the use of macros. Once opening a certain tool you are asked wether you accept this before you can actually start working with the tool.
Make sure that macro is always enabled for the proper functioning of the tools
Yes, correct – sometimes you are informed that «Read only» is allowed because «Active X» seems to be missing.
Please open the file by accepting «Read only» and then proceed to the menu «File» -> «Save Under» and give the copy a changed name (make sure that this new file is saved in «.xlsm» format).
„Now everything should work as expected!
In Principe yes – however, your version of EXCEL must be compatible with the format «xlsm».
Make sure that a file is always saved as «.xlsm», otherwise it will unfortunately not work!