INTRODUCTIONSolar-powered pumping systems have been in

use long enough that a preliminary assessment

can be conducted related to their efficiency and
cost compared to other alternative powered
pumping systems. This preliminary assessment
should be completed before deciding if solar
power is the best source of alternative power for
a village water supply system. There are several
technology alternatives for supplying power or
lift to groundwater systems including: wind
turbines, windmills, generators, solar arrays, and
hand powered pumps. The main driving factors
for selecting the appropriate technology are
regional feasibility, water demand, system
efficiencies, and initial and long-term costs.
Other factors often include the need for power
and water reserves in the form of batteries and
storage tanks. Solar-powered systems are often
considered for use in developing countries
instead of other forms of alternative energy
because they are durable and exhibit long-term
economic benefits. The water being pumped by a
solar pump, its purity remains a problem. It is no
surprise that even in today's modern world;
millions of children die every year in so-called
developing countries because of using
contaminated water, which cause diseases such as
cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. Most of these
lethal diseases can be prevented using simple
precautions like boiling of water, but the poor do
not have the resources for it.
In this paper, we try to discuss the design and
operation of a solar water pumping unit to meet
the increasing prices of diesel and then purifying
that water by a solar distil unit that achieves the
goal of making water potable and free of
bacterial contamination. The idea is to use the
energy of the sun to evaporate water, and then
condense the vapour on an inclined glass surface.
The glass surface plays the additional role of
sealing the water contained inside while allowing
the sun's rays to enter in. The design of the still
has been optimized with the constraint of keeping
a low cost that is affordable to the poor.
This paper briefly covers the selection process
needed before choosing solar power as the
appropriate alternative power source for a

groundwater pumping system. Preference is

given to the drinking water supply of a small
village.
The paper also covers the design
process, the components of a solar powered
pumping system when used with a well and
submersible pump and adding a distillation unit
along with it.
SOLAR WATER PUMPA solar-powered pump is a normal pump with an
electric motor. Electricity for the motor is
generated on-site through a solar panel which
converts solar energy to direct-current (DC)
electricity. Because the nature of the electrical
output from a solar panel is DC, a solar-powered
pump requires a DC motor if it is to operate
without additional electrical components. If a
pump has an alternating-current (AC) motor, an
inverter would be required to convert the DC
electricity produced by the solar panels to AC
electricity. Due to the increased complexity and
cost, and the reduced efficiency of an AC system,
most solar-powered pumps have DC motors. It
uses power derived from sunlight that is
converted into electrical power by Solar Photo
Voltaic (SPV) modules, which give higher power
output in the afternoons and lower power output
in the mornings and evenings, depending upon
the availability of solar energy.
COMPONENTS OF A SOLAR PUMPING
UNIT1. Pump and motor set
2. Pump controller
3. Solar PV modules
4. Solar panel (for fixing solar modules)
5. Foundation set (consisting of foundation bolts,
structure and civil construction material - cement,
sand, stones, etc.)
6. Storage tank.

PumpThe type of pump used depends on the discharge

rate and head to be delivered. Here a table gives a
review of pump options and system
configurations-

TYPE OF PUMP

Submersible pump

ADVANTAGE

EFFICIENCY

Prevents pump cavitation.

Pump is submerged and

away
from
potential
damage.
Suitable for smaller heads.
Start at low torque and can
be matched with solar array
without electric controllers.

They
more
efficient.

are

Less
efficeient than
positive
displacement
pumps.

They are best

efficient.

2.

Multistage
centrifugal pump

3.

Positive
displacement
helical pump

It has low rotational speed.

It is suitable for bigger
heads.

4.

Submerged pump
with
surface
mounted motor

Easy access to the motor for It is less efficient

because of power
maintainance.
losses and hence
replaced
by
submersible motor
and pump set.

5.

Surface
suction
pump sets

Suitable for low head

applications.
Not suitable for suction
heads below 8m.

Not efficient.

Pumps for village water pumping are typically

submersible low-volume, high-lift types. They
often have brush-less DC motors for long life and
little maintenance. There are two types: positive
displacement, which includes the higher lift
helical coil (like a screw - shown at right
dissected) and the less costly and lower flow rate
diaphragm pump.
The other type is a centrifugal pump (spins to
create suction), which is used in higher lift
applications.

Following are some preliminary calculations for

determining total dynamic head and the flow rate
of the pump needed:
TDH = (depth from static water table to top of
well + drawdown at sustainable or desired
Pumping rate + elevation difference from top of
well to top of storage tank) x 1.1

1.1 accounts for other head losses

and frictional losses in system. For
Type of cell
Efficiency range Comments
Motora more accurate measurement of
Generally motors are grouped into two types as
frictional losses, Hazen-Williams
ac motors and dc motors. The simplest and
equation should be used along
cheapest type of ac motor
is the squirrel-cage14 to 16%
Monocrystalline
price,
affected
with Highest
tables that show
the frictional
temperature
induction motor, which is having low cost and
loss per foot of pipe length.
robust construction making it the suitable for PV
Minor and local losses in fittings
applications. In contrast, ac motors are cheaper
should also be accounted for.
than dc motors and large ranges are available for
The desired pumping rate should
different loads but it requires invertors for PV
not be greater than the sustained
applications, which clearly add cost and increase
well yield.
breakdown risk.

Sizing of pumpThe size of the pump will depend on several

factors including:
available water supply,
available power, available storage, total dynamic
head (TDH), diameter of well, and village
demand. Assume that the pump will only be
operating during peak sunlight hours. We try to
install the most efficient and simplest system that
meets the project demands. Before the village
starts using the system, the storage tank should be
filled. This allows the rest of the distribution
system to be designed with a semi-constant
pressure head. It also reduces the demand on the
pump by allowing it to cycle, starting again when
the volume in the tank is approximately
depleted.
It is important to determine the total dynamic
head. For a Solar pumping system, total dynamic
head can be referred to as the head pressure
required to overcome the sum of the static lift of
the water, the static height of the storage tank,
and the frictional losses in the pipe network .

An estimate of the required flow rate of the pump

can be determined by the following equation:

Photovoltaic solar cellsSolar power comes from photovoltaic (PV) cells that
convert the suns energy into usable DC electricity. A
module consists of PV cells and an array consists of
several modules. PV cells are primarily made from
silicon and come in three different types:
monocrystalline, polycrystalline (multicrystalline),
and amorphous. The efficiency of the PV module
relates to the area of active cell area exposed to the
sunlight. Monocrystalline are the most efficient,
converting approximately 15% of the suns energy to
electricity, but they are also the most expensive of the
three. Photovoltaic modules have typical warranties
of 20 25 years, with life expectancies approaching
30 years. The following table relates the differences
between the three main types of PV cells:A factor of

by

1.25 times the pump wattage requirements is often

used to determine the preliminary size of the required
array. This accounts for the energy losses in the
modules and controller.

A solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of

photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a
component to generate and supply electricity. Each
panel is rated by its DC output power under standard
test conditions, and typically ranges from 100 to 320
watts. Because a single panel produce less amount of
energy, they are generally used in combinations.

If batteries and a regulator are added into the system,

the PV array demand will be higher. The addition of
an inverter to run an AC pump would also increase
the demand on the PV array.

Storage tank-

How the PV modules are connected, series versus

parallel will depend on the required output voltage
and current. If they are all connected in parallel, it
will increase the available current. If they are all
connected in series, it will increase the available
voltage. It is best to get the recommended layout of
the modules from the distributor of the pump and
controller.

The storage tank should have enough volume to hold

at least three days worth of average demand. This is
not only to account for peak demands, but primarily
to compensate for nights and cloudy days, especially
when other backup systems are not used. All pressure
analyzes and standard distribution calculations should
be accounted for, including water hammer effects. It
should be made sure the internal velocities and
pressures are appropriate for the pipe material and
desired flow rates.

Pump ControllerThe pump controller is a highly specialized item and

can vary significantly between pump manufacturers.
A technical term for a pump controller is a linear
current booster. The purpose of the pump controller
is to regulate and match the flow of DC electricity to
the needs of the pump. The pump controller also
contains the recognition components for the storage
tank floatation switch and the low-well switch. The
controller should be expected to last approximately 10
years.

Solar PV ModulesThe power output of a PV module depends on the

number of cells in the module, the type of cells,
and the total surface area of the cells. All
modules are rated by manufacturers in terms of
their peak power under standard test conditions:
i.e. 1000W/m of sunlight (peak sun); 25 C;
and air mass of 1.5. Modules nearly always
produce less than their rated peak power in reallife conditions.

Solar Panel-

ADVANTAGES
OF
PUMPING SYSTEM-

SOLAR

Economical aspect:
Least maintenance cost.
No transportation from long distance,
thus less cost.
No rent for electricity utilized.
No fuel required for operation.
Technical aspect:
No moving parts, thus long life.
Noiseless operation.
No person required to operate the
system.
Manufacturing aspect:
Simple in construction, so easy to
fabricate.
No heavy materials are used.
Safety aspect:
Pollution free.

 Less chance of accidents.

LIMITATIONS High initial installation cost.
Care should be taken for batteries.
Power production will be lesser in
cloudy days.

CONSIDERATIONS
WHILE
LOCATING AND INSTALLING A
SOLAR PUMPOne of the advantages of solar-powered pumping
systems is their simplicity, and because of this,
they can be easily assembled and installed by the
user.
When a solar-powered pumping system is
purchased, the supplier should supply total
system designs and electrical drawings, as well as
assembly, installation and set-up instructions. The
photovoltaic array (solar panels) can be mounted
on a post or frame, but whatever the array is
mounted on, it should be stable enough to
withstand strong winds. The array should ideally
be oriented toward true south, but deviations of
15 degrees east or west should not significantly
affect performance. Some systems are available
with devices that track the sun as it moves across
the sky, but for most stock watering applications,
the increased efficiency derived from such
systems is generally not worth the added cost and
complexity.
The solar panels should be tilted at an angle to
horizontal to maximize power output. If the panel
is to be fixed for year-round use, the tilt angle
should equal the latitude of the site. If the panel
mount has an adjustable tilt angle, the tilt angle
should be equivalent to the site latitude minus 10
to 15 degrees in the summer, whereas in winter,
the tilt angle should equal the latitude plus 10 to
15 degrees.

WORKING OF A SOLAR POWERED

PUMP

A protected hole is drilled 100m down

into the earth to reach a water source.

A solar panel turns the energy from the

sun into electricity that drives a motor - powering
an underground water pump that draws water for
up to 12 hours a day.

The fresh water is then stored in a water

tanks that's connected to pumps and taps around
the village, giving the local people easy access.

SOLAR DISTILLATIONSolar distillation is a process that employs the use

of solar radiation to purify brackish, saline and
polluted water. The process of solar distillation is
analogous to the naturally occurring hydrologic
cycle.
HISTORY OF SOLAR STILLSolar distillation is a tried and true technology.
The first known use of stills dates back to 1551
when it was used by Arab alchemists. Other
scientists and naturalists used stills over the
coming centuries including Della Porta (1589),
Lavoisier (1862). The first "conventional" solar
still plant was built in 1872 by the Swedish
engineer Charles Wilson in the mining
community of Las Salinas in what is now
northern Chile. This still was a large basin-type
still used for supplying fresh water using brackish
feed water to a nitrate mining community. The
plant used wooden bays which had blackened
bottoms using logwood dye and alum. The total
area of the distillation plant was 4,700 square
meters. On a typical summer day this plant
produced 4.9 kg of distilled water per square
meter of still surface, or more than 23,000 litres
per day. Solar water Distillation system also
called Solar Still.
Basic principal of working of solar still is Solar
energy heats water, evaporates it (salts and

microbes left behind), and condenses as clouds

to return to earth as rainwater.

Components of solar distilSolar Collector.

The transparent cover.
The framing structure.
Distillate trough and storage.
Sealants, insulation and connecting devices.

Types of Solar Still1.

2.
3.
4.

Concentrating collector stills.

Basin type.
Tilted wick.
Plastic stills.

Solar Still OperationWater to be cleaned is poured into the still to

partially fill the basin. The glass cover allows the
solar radiation to pass into the still, which is
mostly absorbed by the blackened base. This
interior surface uses a blackened material to
improve absorption of the sunrays. The water
begins to heat up and the moisture content of the
air trapped between the water surface and the
glass cover increases. The heated water vapour
evaporates from the basin and condenses on the
inside of the glass cover. In this process, the salts
and microbes that were in the original water are
left behind. Condensed water trickles down the
inclined glass cover to an interior collection
trough and out to a storage bottle. Feed water
should be added each day that roughly exceeds
the distillate production to provide proper
flushing of the basin water and to clean out
excess salts left behind during the evaporation
process. If the still produced 3 litres of water, 9
litres of make-up water should be added, of
which 6 litres leaves the still as excess to flush
the basin.

Advantages of solar distillation-

Solar energy is renewable, abundant, has a

widespread distribution, it is easy to use and it is
totally free.
Solar distillation units are easy to construct,
simple to operate and low maintenance.
Solar distillation produces 99.9% pure water for
consumption.
These units do not have a carbon footprint as
they are 100% clean and emit absolutely no
harmful toxins into the atmosphere.

Disadvantages of solar distillationCost.

Weather dependence.
Time of day.
Geographic location.
Decreased productivity with time.
Requires some skills and time to maintain.

Model of solar
distillation unit-

pump

and

In our paper we have tried to devise a pumping

system which can be extensively used in villages as
well. Consider a small village situated at the top of a
hill and a river flowing at the foothills. To pump water
to higher levels we have used a pump. The type of
pump to be used depends upon pumping rate. If
pumping rate is below 5m3/sec, a positive
displacement pump is used. For higher rate of
discharge, multistage centrifugal pumps are used. The
water pumped is stored in a tank overhead. A control
panel is connected to it which regulates the amount of
water intake. This water pumped contains some
amount of floating debris and other contaminants
which have to be removed for use in domestic
purposes. For this purpose we try to put a solar distil
unit in coordination with solar pumping unit. The
control valve regulates the water intake, when the sun
shines over the solar panel, some amount of water is
evaporated and it is then condensed in a solar still.
The condensed water is pure water whereas the
impure water again goes down to the reservoir. It can
be used for farming practices.
Now the question arises-

1.What if sunlight is not available for

longer hours?

Sunlight is a natural source which is available in

plenty but it is not available throughout the day.
If batteries are used to store the sunlight, they'll
have to be maintained, and then replaced after a
certain number of years. Most solar panels tend
to last about 30 years (theoretically, practically it
depend on battery to battery), but batteries just
don't have that kind of useful life. The most
commonly used deep-cycle batteries are leadacid batteries (both sealed and vented)
and nickel-cadmium batteries, both of which
have various pros and cons. Batteries in PV
systems can also be very dangerous because of
the energy they store and the acidic electrolytes
they contain, so you'll need a well-ventilated,
non-metallic enclosure for them. And this system
being working in interior areas of hills, it will be
difficult to maintain the batteries. Therefore, the
problem of supplying power to pump in days
when solar energy is not present will be
harnessed by using velocity of water flowing in
the river itself. These two energies together can
help to develop a pumping system which can
cater to the needs of people.

2. What is the efficiency of the

system?
Efficiencies of a motor-pump subsystem
vary between 40 60 % depending on the
motor, pump, and the power transmission.
Normally, the optimum efficiency for
motors is about 85%; for the pump about
70%; and for the suction and delivery
pipe about 80%.

3. What is the feasibility of the

system?
The selection of solar powered pumping
system should only follow a thorough look at
the feasibility and future prospect of the
technology. There are several important steps
in this process. Not all of them are covered
here, but the key considerations are
mentioned below:-

a) Water Source
Selecting a water source involves making a
detailed site map which shows changing

elevations, layout of the land, available water

resources running through the site or near the
site. If the selected water source is gravity-driven,
like an upper river the power supply can be
avoided by the proper layout of a distribution
system. However, if the source is a well or
surface water at a lower elevation than the site, a
powered pump or possibly even a ram pump will
be needed. Once the water source has been
narrowed down to a well and alternative power is
needed, the village water demand needs to be
determined. The average rate of consumption for
villagers is 10 gallons per day per capita. It is
general practice to add at least three days of
storage to a solar powered system for cloudy
days, nights, and emergencies.
b) Power Source
The next step is to rule out other sources of
power or pumping devices. If the public power
grid is reliable and in proximity to the site,
preferably less than 1/3 mile, then solar power
would most likely be a poor choice.

CASE STUDY:
According to a project undertaken in Kabda
village, which is located 24 km from Sur towards
north in Oman. The houses in the village are
dispersedly located not just adjacent to other
house, so providing water to all houses needs
more capacity of pump, which will increase the
cost of the project. Basically, daily water demand
and the total pumping head are the two main
factors that identify what size of PV system can
be implemented for the project. The average
insolation data available in Sur is 4.52
kWh/m2/days, which is lowest value in all over
ten cities. The daily water demand that is
estimated on the basis of a water flow of 18 m3
per day is sufficient to cover the requirements of
a smaller rural community of around 100 people.
To design a solar-powered water pump
system, first it is necessary to determine
the size of the system required, including

the pump, PV panels, water tank size, etc.

Following are the steps involved for
proper estimating the capacity of the
system required are as:

Hydraulic energy required (kWh/day) =

Volume of water required (m3/day)* Head
(m)*water density*gravity/ (3.6*1000000)
Step 5: PV panel Selection

Step 1: Water Requirement

It is very important to determine the water
demand per capita per day; normally it
has been observed that a person can use
60 200 liters of water per day. In Oman,
the average water demand per capita is
around 150 liters. Water demand for a
community can be determined by
multiplying the water requirement per
capita per day by number of people in the
community. Here it is 150 100 = 15,000
liters = 15 m3, consider safety factor of
1.2, the total water demand = 18 m3

Step 2: Water Storage

A water storage tank is normally used to
store enough water during peak energy
production to meet water requirements in
the event of cloudy weather or
maintenance issues with power system.
The paper has considered three days
water storage capacity so total water
requirement is 18 m3/ day 3 day = 54
m3. To store this amount of water it is
better to construct a water tank with
cement and concrete mixture for long
durability.
Step 3: Total Effective Head for the Pump
Total Effective Head = Vertical Lift + Pressure
Head + Friction Head
Paper has estimated this effective head of 35 m.
Step 4: Pump Selection
The pump can be selected based on design flow
rate and total effective head calculated value with
the
information
available
from
the
manufacturers pump curves.

Now, the required load has been estimated to be

around 1.34 kWh, it is considered that the
pumping water system can be used for 6 working
hours daily. The efficiency of the whole system,
which consists of:
1. Pump: efficiency of 0.8
2. Motor: efficiency of 0.7,
3. Power electronics: efficiency of 0.9;
So, the entire system efficiency
0.90.80.7=0.5, then 1/0.5 = 2.
1.72 kWh 2 = 3.44 kWh

Step 6: Cost of PV array (for DC supply)

The array size can be determined by dividing the
energy needed by the number of available sun
hours per day = 3.44/4.52 = 0.761 kW = 761 W.
The cost of the PV array system required can be
determined by multiply the size of the array by
$10 per watt = 761 $10 = $7610.
Step 7: Cost of PV array (for AC supply)
If an AC power supply to motor of pump, then
system need an inverter and need more complex
control system, which will add a cost of
multiplying $1.2 by related watts: 761 $1.2 =
$913.2
Hence, Total estimated cost = $7610 + $913.2 =
$8523.2
This system can be used in Indian villages
pertaining to similar conditions.

CONCLUSIONTypical solar radiation data is very important for

designing and calculation of the size of the PV
system. The initial cost of the PV system is the

only disadvantage over the diesel engine.

However, particularly in remote areas the higher
initial cost of the PV system can be justified by
the savings in the lower operation and
maintenance as well as the increased reliability
throughout the useful longer life of the PV
system, around 25 years. In addition, as the
environment becomes one of the main
considerations of the world nations, at the point
of generation, photovoltaic energy generally
produces no air pollution, hazardous wastes and
no noise. In the future, we hope this system

design can be expanded and improved to work

with a variety of different load requirements. We
see possibility in exploring how a solar array
system would work on a larger scale, in projects
providing whole communities with a clean,
reliable water source.
REFERENCES-