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Introduction

Solar PV pumping constitutes what is perhaps the most relevant of all PV applications
for agrarian India. The per capital energy consumption of any country is an index of the
economic well being of the country. In India 40-50% of the energy generated is
consumed in the agricultural sector of water pumping. However, conventional source of
energy are becoming costlier, scarcer and generate a lot of green house gases
particularly CO2. What India needs today is an energy source that is decentralised,
modular, efficient, sustainable, pollution free and capable of straight power delivery. (i.e.
Generation near the point of views). It is in this context solar photovoltaics assume its
importance as an energy source and among all these applications photovoltaics, Solar
water pumping is the most relevant for India. In India there are about 15 million pump
sets in the agriculture sector and there i.e. scope for installing atleast 7 million more.
There is a strong case in India to go in for solar power water pumping in a very big way.
Other important applications of photovoltaics would be in the areas of lighting, health
care, education, entertainment, industry and so on.

• Applications of Photovoltaics:
Important applications of photovoltaics. In the context of India care briefly
described below:
• Consumer electronics: such as in calculators, TV etc.
a) Communications: PV is ideally suited for powering remote, microwave,
towers, battery charging applications specially in radio sets etc.
b) Off Grid Applications: These include lighting, motor pumping, health care
(Storing Vaccines), education, entertainment( TV sets, radio sets etc)
c) Grid connected applications: ie feeding, PV power to the grid through a
suitable inverter.
d) Hybrid Systems: such as PV-wend, PV and mains, PV & biomass etc.
e) Generation power: for peak shaving applications or for strengthening the
grid. Power from PV as centralised generating source.
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f) Industrial applications: such as cathodic protection etc.


In this paper water pumping application for Irrigation will be discussed. Water
pumping applications are also pumping applications are also relevant for
village water supply and life stock watering.

 Justification for solar PV pumping


Problems with the grid-powered pumps. The problems with grid powered pumping
systems are profiled below [1]:

a) Demand for electrical energy far outstrips supply. The gap is only widening.
b) It is proving to be increasingly difficult for the Government to continue subsidizing
rising costs of generation, T & D (transmission and distribution) losses, pilferage
etc. ( To deliver 3600 kWh to the farmer’s pump-set, 7000 kWh are required to
be generated,
assuming a diversity factor of 2). The loss of revenue to the Government is
colossal.
c) The capital cost to the Government to provide an electrical connection for a
single pump set of 3 HP capacity (sufficient for 5 acres) is estimated at Rs. 1.37
lakhs by Andhra Pradesh Transco (2002 figures).

d) Electrical energy generation costs and tariffs are progressively increasing. The
marginal-farmer is not in a position to pay such high tariffs.
e)
f) Grid power is unreliable and of poor quality often leading to motor burn outs at
tail end areas.
g) In a coal-fired thermal generating station, 1 kWh of electrical energy generated
results in 1.6 to 2 kg of carbon dioxide emission. On a conservative basis, 7000
or more kWh of energy are required to be generated in a year to energise a 3 HP

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pump set. This translates to 11.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission per grid
powered pump-set per year.

• ‘Fact file’ relating to the agricultural sector.

Agriculture is the largest user of water accounting for about one-third of the total power
use in India [2]. Out of a total water consumption of 552 bcm (2000 figures), the
apportionment among various sectors is Agriculture (83%), Industry (4%), Municipal
(5%) and others (8%). The total energy consumed in the same year was 395 b kWh
(Agriculture – 27%, Industry – 40%, Domestic – 22% and others – 11%). India has
about 15 million grid powered pump sets and close to 7 million diesel engine pump sets.
In order to deliver 1 kWh of electric energy at the pump end, the input to the Utility
thermal generating station is generally of the order of 24.7 kWh. (Fig 1).

Input 24.7 kWh

Generation thermal
70% loss
7.42 kWh

Generation Electrical
10% loss

6.68 kWh

Transmission
8% loss
6.15 kWh

Distribution
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4 kWh

End User
75% loss

1 kWh

Fig 1 Principal technical losses – Agricultural sector – India [2]

 Ideal energy source.

Photovoltaic power would be an ideal source of energy for pumping as it is silent,


pollution free, a standalone source next to the point of use, modular in nature (easy and
quick expandability), efficient (no T & D losses) and is decentralised.

The Solar PV pump Option for irrigation [3].


The type of solar pumping system for
irrigation would depend on the nature of the well – deep well, bore well, open well etc.
Typical pump systems would be the DC surface suction type (about 86% or more of the
solar pumping systems installed in India, as on 2006), DC submersible type (2% of the
total) , DC floating type (2%) and AC submersible (10%). The feedback from the field in
respect of the performance of the DC surface suction pumps (1hp and 2 hp motors, 900
Wp and 1800 Wp PV arrays), especially in Punjab and Haryana, has been positive.
However for pumping from open wells and canals (typical heads 8 to 10 metres), the
800 to 900 Wp DC floating pumps made by Polyene Film Industries Ltd (PFI), Chennai.
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have been found to be the most efficient, pumping about 120,000 litres over the day. It
has elicited a high level of user satisfaction. The pump assumes the level of the water
surface at all times with the help of a plastic float (HMHDPE float filled with
polyurethane foam). The single stage centrifugal pump (volute casing, seal chamber,
mechanical seal and impeller) is coupled to a permanent magnet DC motor (1.17 hp).
The pump is lowered or pulled up with the help of a pulley arrangement. The pump is of
the zero suction and does not require a foot valve. All this translates to high wire to
water efficiency. PFI have used amorphous silicon (tandem) PV modules, as their field
experience proves that these modules, despite their lower efficiencies and the initial
light induced degradation , pump more due to their offering a better match to the
centrifugal pump (Hydrasol, Germany design), their having a better spectral response
and better high temperature characteristics [4]. Salient observations of the AP Transco
Report of Jun 2001 include:
a) The PV powered DC Floating pump system is a high efficiency system suited to
pump water for irrigation from shallow open wells
b) The advantages of solar pumping with the floating pump include:
i) The well does not get empty by fast or fierce pumping
ii) Pumping is gradual allowing the well to recharge
c) Watershed development programmes are planned and rain harvesting methods
are adopted by farmers
d) Area under cultivation is typically 3 acres. With better water management and
choice of crops, up to 5 acres can be irrigated
e) Wells should be selected with care, in consultation with Govt. authorities at the
District level.

 Distinct advantages of using the solar pump .

The solar pump uses an energy source that is


a) environmentally benign
b) silent

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c) easily & quickly expandable being modular in nature


d) ideally suited for a stand alone or decentralised application
e) Ensures optimal utilization of the ground water and does not damage the aquifer as
with oversized electric motors

Components of a Solar PV pumping system and their


functions

Typical constituents of a solar PV pumping system include the PV array on a mounting


structure (fixed tilt or tracking – manual or automatic), a power conditioner (battery and
electronic interface), inverter (to convert the DC power to AC power) and a pump (ac or dc). The
inverter could be dispensed with if a DC motor drives the pump. Power conditioners and
batteries are not used. In the case of DC motor driven pumps, the PV array is very often
connected directly to the pump. In order to maximise the solar power incident on the PV array,
the PV array is made to track the Sun (automatically or manually). In the case of manual
tracking, the PV array that is facing South and appropriately inclined depending on the season, is
repositioned at least twice a day. Very often maximum power is transferred to the load, by using

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a maximum power point tracker (an electronic interface).

PV Technologies
Silicon technologies [8]
• Mono-crystalline Silicon
• Multi-crystalline Silicon
• Edge-defined film-fed growth Silicon
• String ribbon process
• Crystalline thin film silicon
• Amorphous silicon
• Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS)

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Types of pumps

a) DC pumps – There are three types of pumps in this category viz. DC


submersible, DC surface suction , and DC floating. The DC surface suction pump
has been the most popular in India under the aegis of the National program with
PV capacities ranging from 600 Wp to 900 Wp to 1800 Wp and some even 3.6
kWp.
b) AC pumps – AC submersibles have been installed (Udaya make or Grundfos
make) in many places where water is required to be pumped from deep wells

Sizing solar pumps


The hydraulic energy required (kWh/day)
= volume required (m³/day) x head (m) x water density x gravity / (3.6 x 106)
= 0.002725 x volume (m³/day) x head (m)

The solar array power required (kWp) =Hydraulic energy required (kWh/day)
Av. daily solar irradiation (kWh/m²/day x F x E)

where F = array mismatch factor = 0.85 on average


and E = daily subsystem efficiency = 0.25 - 0.40 typically

The Indian Experience

Water requirements of the small/marginal farmer owning upto 5 acres of land range
from 50,00 litres to 140,000 litres depending on the type of crop (vegetable, flowers,
rice, paddy, jowar, ground nut and sugarcane). It would be expedient for the small
farmer to go in for drip irrigation as well depending on the crop. TABLE 1 profiles the
typical solar pumps to address high heads.
TABLE 1: Typical solar pumps for high heads
(Source: Source: UNDP/GEF 2006 Report by Emcon Consulting Group)

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Type of pump Pump PV array Max. head, m Hydraulic load


classification capacity In m4/day
Grundfos SQ Centrifugal & 1,400 Wp 200 1,100
Flex helical rotor
Lorenz PS Centrifugal & 1,200 230 1,000
helical rotor
Total Energies Helical rotor 1,280 130 900
TSP 1000
Total Energie Centrifugal 5600 120 4,000
TSP 2000

Total
Model Crop Season Area Total cost Net income
Income
acres Rs Rs Rs
Farm Model 1
Pre-development Groundnut Kharif 1 5927.00 3333.00 2594.00
Case Studies.
J owar Kharif 0.75 2376.00 1295.00 1081.00
Groundnut Rabi 0.5 2963.00 1667.00 1296.00
Wheat Rabi 1 3960.00 2559.00 1401.00
Total 3.25 15226.00 8854.00 6372.00
Post-dev
NABARD elopm
(The ent Vegetable
National Bank forKharif 1.25 and20820.00
Agriculture 8866.00
Rural Development) 11954.00
conducted a field
Groundnut Kharif 0.5 5916.00 1667.00 4249.00
study in 1999 in three different
Groundnut Rabi geographical
0.625 areas in the2083.00
7395.00 States of Andhra
5312.00 Pradesh
Vegetable Rabi 0.5 8242.00 3388.00 4854.00
and Tamilnadu. Vegetable
See TABLE Summ –2er extracted
0.5 from the 3586.00
7971.00 report (models 1,2 and 3
4385.00
Total 3.375 50344.00 19590.00 30754.00
corresponding
Farm Model 2 to the three different areas). The farmers were able to grow
Pre-development Groundnut Kharif 1 5927.00 3333.00 2594.00
additional crops Paddy
and increase
Kharif their0.75
levels of income. 2716.00
1901.00 Extract from-815.00
the Winrock
Groundnut
International report is shownRabi
Total
graphically 0.5
2.25
in Fig2963.00
4.
10791.00
1667.00
7716.00
1296.00
3075.00
Post-development Paddy Kharif 0.5 4819.00 1810.00 3009.00
Vegetable Kharif 1 16656.00 7093.00 9563.00
TABLE 2 - Cultivation & Income
Vegetable Rabi Before 0.75 and12363.00
After SPV Pump
5082.00 (NABARD
7281.00STUDY
Wheat Rabi 1 7529.00 2559.00 4970.00
Vegetable Summer 1999) 9964.00
0.25 4483.00 5481.00
Total 3.5 51331.00 21027.00 30304.00
Farm Model 3
Pre-development Sugarcane Kharif 0.625 9213.00 6774.00 2439.00
J owar Kharif 1 3168.00 1726.00 1442.00
Wheat Rabi 1 3960.00 2559.00 1401.00
Total 2.625 16341.00 11059.00 5282.00
Post-development Sugarcane Kharif 0.625 21019.00 6774.00 14245.00
B.N.CO.E, PUSAD Vegetable Kharif 1 16656.00 7093.00 9563.00 Page 9
Vegetable Rabi 1 16485.00 6775.00 9710.00
Total 2.625 54160.00 20642.00 33518.00
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 Economics of Solar pumping

The economics of a conventional and solar powered pumping system is tabulated below
(TABLE 4):

TABLE 4: The economics of a solar PV pump system (Source: Thinksoft


consultants, 2001, Hyderabad)

Utility/grid power connections in A.P. 1,932,912


(1999-2000)
Energy supplied to the farmers 10,632 m kWh/yr
Cost to the A.P. Government

a. Cost to serve Rs 105, 581/- (NPV over 20 years)


b. Capital investment Rs 137,000/-

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c. Total Rs 242,581/-
PV pumping system cost without
subsidy (900 Wp PV system) Rs 200.000/-
In general photovoltaic pumps are economic compared to diesel pumps up to
approximately
3kWp for village water supply and to around 1kWp for irrigation.

 Integrated approach to water pumping


a) Water shed development to create/maintain the water resource
b) Optimal utilization of ground water through solar PV pumping
c) Advising of the small/marginal farmers regarding appropriate agricultural
practices.
d) Conservation of water by adopting drip irrigation.

Desirable future scenario


India has about 15 million pump sets and about 7 million diesel powered pump
sets. There are 9 million more wells to be energized as per an ASCI report. India
should announce a program for the installation of 100,000 solar PV pumping
systems over a 10 year period. Volumes would drive PV costs down. At least
10% of the existing electric pump installations should be replaced with solar
pumping systems in a phased manner over a 10 year period. Such a large scale

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programme would result in cost reduction, more employment opportunities and


abatement of GHG emission.

 Conclusion

Large scale induction of solar pumping systems would act as a key driver for
cost reduction from the present level of Rs 180/Wp to under Rs 100 per watt
peak or less and achieve commercialisation. Stand alone PV systems would
offer the benefits of distributed generation, demand side management and
energy efficiency. To the customer it would offer accelerated availability of
reliable service, extended pump life (avoids burnouts) and better water
management. A holistic approach to solar pumping is recommended – water
shed management (to create/maintain the water resource), solar pumping (to
use water optimally), drip irrigation (to conserve water) and education of farmers
in appropriate agricultural practices. The price of the solar pump would keep
coming down with volumes and would present the only sustainable option.

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 References

• Sandia Lab, 1988, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Handbook, 1988


• Surendra T.S., 2000, Photovoltaics
o in Energy conversion, energy efficiency and Green House Gas
reduction, Enfuse Golden Jubilee seminar on “ Energy and
Environment –Current status and future challenges
Paul Maycock & Edward N. Stirewall ,1980, A Guide to the Photovoltaic
Revolution, Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa

• . website: http://www.pvresources.com/en/technologies.php,
Overview of solar cell

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o materials

• Takahashi K & Konagai M., 1986, Amorphous Silicon Solar


Cells, North Oxford Academic, p. 28
• Varadarajan M., Installation of 100,000 solar PV pumping
systems over a 10 year period in A.P.”, Proposal submitted to the
Government of A.P., 2002
• Sivanappan R.K., Technologies for water harvesting and soil
moisture conservation in small watersheds for small scale irrigation,
• www.solarpv.com

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