Solar Water
Pumping
WHAT IS SOLAR PUMPING?
Why is solar pumping exciting?
Solar photovoltaic water pumping (SWP) uses energy from
solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to power an electric water
pump.
The entire process, from sunlight to stored energy, is
elegant and simple.
The revolution of solar pumping
1. SWP system capacity and ability have expanded.
Early solar pumps had limited performance and were restricted to pumping installations with a
shallow water source and a low water demand.
Today, pumps can reach deeper wells (500 meters (m), compared to the previous 200 m) and push
larger volumes of water (1,500 m3/day, compared to the previous 500 m3/day at low head).
Efficiencies have also increased considerably.
New pump and motor designs have increased water outputs over the entire pump range.
2. Prices of photovoltaic (PV) panels have dropped exponentially.
High demand for PV modules for grid-tied applications has resulted in massive economies of scale in
production as well as competition among vendors.
The commodity price of silicon, the key material, has also dropped substantially
3. The number of SWP manufacturers and suppliers has increased.
Old monopolies have been broken, and although the technology leaders continue
to innovate, competition is fierce on price, performance, and quality.
4. SWP is cost-competitive with diesel and wind pumps in all size ranges.
5. SWP is being mainstreamed and awareness is growing.
Markets are already demanding SWP in place of conventional pumping solutions.
Retrofits to diesel pump systems represent a market for further potential savings.
solar pumping applications
The highest demand is within rural off-grid areas, currently underserved, or
served by costly fossil fuel-driven pumps.
The potential applications include:
Potable water supply for institutions (e.g. schools and health clinics)
Community-scale water supply schemes (larger village schemes)
Livestock water supply
Small-scale irrigation
Solar pumping is
most competitive
in regions with
high solar
insolation, which
include most of
Africa, South
America, South
Asia, and
Southeast Asia.
Although these
regions all have
high radiation,
the availability
and depth of
water resources
vary significantly
Advantages of solar pumping
SWP systems consume little to no fuel by using freely available sunlight.
Unlike diesel-based systems, solar pumping produces clean energy.
Solar pumping systems are durable and reliable. PV panels have a design life of over
20 years, and solar pumps have few moving parts and require little maintenance
(unlike diesel pumps).
Solar pumping systems are modular so can be tailored to current power needs and
easily expanded by adding PV panels and accessories.
Properly installed solar systems are safe and low risk due to low system voltage.
Solar water pumping system. Image credit: Energy and Development Group
MAJOR SYSTEM COMPONENTS
A solar pumping system consists
of;
PV modules,
a pump set,
a storage tank,
electronic components
(include an inverter, power
conditioner or pump
controller,
controls/protections, and
water sensors).
interconnected cables
[Link] modules
The energy and power for driving an SWP system comes directly from an array of
solar modules of the correct size and specification.
The semiconductor materials most commonly used in commercial PV cells are
crystalline silicon.
These modules are either monocrystalline silicon modules, where each PV cell has
a single silicon crystal; or polycrystalline modules, where each cell has multiple
crystals.
2. Pumps and motors
Pumps physically lift water from source to point of use/storage.
Water pumps are driven by electrical motors, which convert electrical energy into
mechanical energy.
Motors run on either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC).
DC motors are appealing for solar pumping because PV modules producing direct
current can be directly coupled to the motor with limited power conditioning. This
makes them an economical option for systems with low water demand and a short
cable distance between the PV panel array and the motor.
For long-distance cabling, low-voltage DC motors are not suitable because of power
loss in the cable.
DC motors are currently not available beyond the 5 kW threshold.
AC motors can be used in larger SWP systems, although they require a DC/AC
inverter.
Solar pumping systems use two main types of pumps:
• positive displacement and
• centrifugal.
Positive displacement pumps are further divided into
volumetric and
helical rotor pumps.
• positive displacement pumps are suitable for lower flow rates and medium to high
pumping heads (30–250 m)
• centrifugal pumps are suitable for high flow rates and lower pumping heads (10–120 m).
helical rotor pumps are suitable for operation with low and variable solar radiation
levels, since they can pump at low speed without loss of efficiency,
centrifugal pumps -do not produce any water below a threshold speed and are thus
much less efficient at low or fluttering irradiation.
The most suitable pump and motor type for any situation should be determined based on
manufacturers’ catalogues and motor pump manuals to ensure that the pump/motor pair
can deliver the required flow against the total dynamic head (TDH).
3. Power conditioners
Power conditioners convert DC power from the solar panels to match the pump
motor’s requirements.
Power conditioners can take several formats: a simple DC-DC converter, a simple
fixed-frequency inverter for an AC pump, or a more complex variable speed
drive (VSD) in single or three-phase AC power.
power conditioner is matched to a specific pump and optimized to suit the
pump performance for array voltage and power.
Pump kits from larger pump manufacturers provide an optimized power
conditioner and motor/pump as a matched set. Such power conditioners
provide change-over between solar supply and diesel engine supply, enabling
use in hybrid systems or systems with back-up.
SYSTEM DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The conceptual design of solar pumping systems is best accomplished by analyzing the
following seven key parameters:
1. Water demand
2. Water source
3. Design flow rate
4. Water storage
5. Total dynamic head
6. Location of PV panels
7. Solar resource
1. Water demand
The design capacity depends on water demand, measured in m 3 /day or liters/day
2. Water source
Fresh water is generally obtained through open sources or surface water, such as rivers, streams, and dams;
or protected ground water sources such as boreholes and wells.
In assessing surface water sources, the following aspects must be carefully considered:
• Water availability and pumping levels.
Accounting for seasonal variations is critically important, since some sources may dry up, while
others may be prone to flooding and high risk.
A pumping test is conducted to determines the maximum yield (in m3 /h) as well as the drawdown,
or depth to which the water level in the borehole will fall for a given yield and duration.
• Water quality.
Debris, silt, and sediment can cause damage to the pump if not properly screened at pump intake
3. Design flow rate
pump’s design flow rate is derived by dividing the daily water demand by the total number of
pumping hours in a day.
Solar pumping applications, use the number of peak sun hours to estimate the daily pumping
hours.
For example, in a solar resource that averages 7.0 kWh/m2 /day, peak sun time is 7 hours/day. For
a daily water requirement of 70 m3 /day, the design flow rate is 70,000 litres/day/7 hours/day =
10,000 litres/hour.
The design flow rate should not exceed the maximum water source pumping rate or yield.
The design flow rate is used for future water pressure drop calculations and pipe sizing.
4. Water storage
Most solar pumping systems require water storage capacity to improve performance and reliability.
Reliability is improved when a storage tank is used to store water extracted during sunshine hours
to meet water needs at night, or in the event of cloudy weather or system downtime.
SWP tanks should be sized to store at least a 2–3-days of water supply (daily demand (m3 /day) x 3
days = storage volume (m3 ).
5. Total dynamic head
In pumping systems, “head” refers to the
height to which water must be pumped
relative to its normal level (e.g.,
underground).
Total dynamic head (TDH) or total pumping
head is the sum of three components.
.
Dynamic water level (DWL) is the depth of the surface of the aquifer. This gradually increases
due to drawdown, hence the term “dynamic.”
Discharge head is the height above the ground of the water surface inside the storage tank.
This water is discharged to users through gravity, thus the name “discharge.”
Friction head is the friction of the water against the inside of the pipes. It is typically 10% of the
DWL plus discharge head.
6. Location of PV panels
PV panels should be installed
close to the pump and water source
equator-facing
at optimal tilt angle to the horizon
unshaded in any part of the solar array for the solar day.
Panels should generally be situated in a secure and safe location.
7. Solar resource
Solar resources vary from area to area. solar radiation is generally higher in regions near the equator
Water Pumping System Sizing
The use of sizing software is highly recommended.
The basic principle for sizing is to create an “energy balance.”
Energy balance for a solar SWP system is determined by:
Electrical energy (solar resource, solar array, power
conditioner) × motor-pump efficiency = hydraulic energy
(volume delivered, head, friction losses).
Electrical energy yield to the motor pump can be estimated as
follows:
example 1
A SWP system for a rural community of 2,000 people must be designed to deliver
potable water at the standard 30 litres/capita/day. The tested water source level
is at 100 m static head below ground level. Borehole drawdown is 5 m at 5 m3
/hour, and 10 m at 10m3 /hr. Gravity head, or elevation of the storage tank, must
be 10 m above ground level. The solar resource on site averages 4.5 kWh/m2 /
day at a tilt of 20o from horizontal, orientated toward the equator, which
optimizes the solar yield in the worst month. What is the indicative SWP system
size?
Sizing software
The combinations of variations in seasonal water demand, seasonal solar radiation, and seasonal
changes in pumping head make for a considerably more complex optimization, which is best suited
for computer-based iterations.
Examples of some sizing and simulation software:
COMPASS, specific to solar pump manufacturer Lorentz.
Grundfos Product Centre, specific to pump manufacturer Grundfos.
PVSyst, which can be used to size and simulate any PV system but requires engineering
knowledge of individual components in case of SWP
HOMER, which can be used to do basic energy balances, without knowledge of the specific
components, and performs annual simulations.
