Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679

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Materials Today: Proceedings

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr

Design optimization of solar PV water pumping system

Rakhi Sharma a,⇑, Shivanshu Sharma b, Sumit Tiwari c
a
School of Engineering & Technology, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India
b
Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, Delhi, India
c
Shiv Nadar University, Delhi, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Utilization of solar photovoltaic (PV) as a power source in water pumping applications has emerged as
Received 31 October 2019 one of the valuable solar applications. Solar PV water pumping system is used to fulfill the demand of
Received in revised form 21 November 2019 water in the field of irrigation, livestock watering, and village water supply. Understanding of system
Accepted 30 November 2019
design and selection of appropriate design parameters are essential to attain consistent and economical
Available online 27 December 2019
performance of any system. To design a solar water pumping system collection of the information regard-
ing the system components and local climate data of the location are required. This information helps to
Keywords:
obtain preferred design and results. In the present paper design optimization of PV system is done by
Solar energy
Simulation
simulation software tool PVsyst 5.52. This simulation software helps to design the system and shows
SPVWPS (solar photovoltaic water pumping how the different parameters affect the system performance results. Selection of PV array, controller,
system) pumping unit, water supply network is needful to fulfill design requirements. The performance evalua-
Solar irradiance tion of a system located at Karansar, Jaipur (Rajasthan) is done with help of simulation software by using
Irrigation existing local data. The theoretical and simulation results are used to understand the system design and
its performance by taking different parameters into consideration.
Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
ence on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.

1. Introduction
The solar PV water pumping system is best solution for remote
areas where grid connectivity is not possible. The design of the sys-
tem using simulation software helps to get the best result from
available resources. Software results help to rectify problems of
the system before on field installation. Many software packages
are available which give a platform to design the balance of system
for solar photovoltaic (PV) water pumping system (SPVWPS). In the
PVsyst software package designing process of system is easy and
its comprehensive design process also includes explanation for
each component using graphs.
2. Literature review
There are many different system design optimization software
tools are available for solar photovoltaic water pumping system
design investigations. In this segment, the PVsyst software is best
⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: rakhisharma@ignou.ac.in (R. Sharma).
suitable for solar photovoltaic (PV) water pumping system design
optimization simulation. SWPVS systems have the potential to pro-
vide clean drinking water to millions of un-served people around
the world [1]. The solar water pumping system is a promising solu-
tion for water pumping in irrigation and livestock water supplies
and also fulfills the demands in remote areas where grid connectiv-
ity is not available [2]. The variation in climatic data also affects the
system performance. In rainy season efficiency of pump is less due
to the availability of rain water [3]. The principle factors affects the
performance and efficiency of SPVWPS are environmental condi-
tions, PV panel quality and working condition of controller, energy
storage unit, pump and motor [4]. Irradiance and temperature vari-
ation affects the water output of SPVWPS and its optimum sizing.
The effect of different array configuration should be studied for
performance analysis of system and PVsyst provides platform for
such studies [5]. The system design includes parameter like
environmental parameters (irradiance and ambient temperature)
system (PV and array geometry), load data and sizing algorithm
etc. The optimal size of system ensures high reliability evaluated
by two indices: number of autonomous day (NAD) and loss of
load probability (LOLP) [6]. A number of modeling equations and
methods has developed for PV system designing. To get perfect

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2019.11.322
2214-7853/Ó 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Mechanical and Energy Technologies.
1674 R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679

optimization technique it is required to include financial and reli- Power required by motor
Total power required from PV array ¼
ability parameters for techno-economic analysis [7]. The number Efficiency of the system
of parameters is classified in PVsyst for performance study with
the help of graphical approach [8]. This software also helps to do
comparative analysis with different parameters. With the help of
3.1.4. System sizing calculation
the PVsyst software comparative study on two systems having dif-
The input power of the system is calculated with the help of
ferent climatic conditions and design can be performed with ana-
incident solar radiation
lytic approach [9]. The theoretical results and experimental
results may differ to each other. The theoretical results are based
P i ¼ G i  Am
on the parameters we provide in simulation software. The experi-
mental results may vary due to variation in environmental param-
where,
eters [10]. The solar water pumping system efficiency calculation
helps us to compare the present work with previous literature or
Gi – Incident solar irradiance (W/m2),
experimental research. This helps to check validity of the simula-
Am – Effective area of cells in module (m2)
tion result [11]. The PVsyst provide platform for hybrid system cal-
culation and its power management [12]. The PVsyst data
The power output of the unit PV module is given by
collection provides number of modules and pumps available in
market globally for system calculation. The software provides ser- Po ¼ V dc  Idc
vices to use different kinds of tools as per requirement and helps to
visualize variation between different products which having same where,
characteristics. PVsyst provides datasheets having collection of cli-
matic data which can be used further during system analysis [13]. Vdc – DC operating voltage,
The results of simulation software like PVsyst and EOS can be com- Idc – DC operating current
pared to each other. It can be found that our sizing tool gives
appreciable results [14]. The results of PVsyst includes several indi- No. of modules required in PV array
cators like water supply availability, power losses, PV-pump mis-
match, well drawdown limitations, water capacity (full storage), Power output required from PV array
The total no: of modules ¼
economic evaluation etc. [15]. Power rating of the unit module

3. Methodology
3.1.5. Efficiency calculation of system
3.1. Theoretical analysis The motor-pump system efficiency is given as

The theoretical analysis of the Solar PV water pumping system gDS ¼ PH =Power input
(SPVWPS) includes hydraulic power calculation, sizing of Photo- PV array efficiency (gp) is given by
voltaic (PV) array, motor sizing and efficiency calculation of the
system. Total power used from PV array
gp ¼  100
PV array capacity
3.1.1. Hydraulic power requirement P is the power input required from PV array depends on A is the
The hydraulic power requirement for the system is calculated area cover by PV array in m2, I is average daily solar irradiation (kW
by h/m2//day) incident on the plane surface of PV array

qgQ H
PH ðkWÞ ¼ 3.1.6. Theoretical mathematical calculation
3:6  106 Hydraulic power requirement of the system, if Q = 15 m3/h,
where q = 1000 kg/m3, g = 9.8 m/s2, h = 66 m (if static head is 60 m and
friction loss is 10%)
q – Water density in kg/m3, PH = 1000  9.8  15  66/3.6  106 = 2.695 kW = 2695 W
g – Acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2), Power required by motor (if efficiency of pump is 75%) =
Q – Water discharge (m3/h) and (2.695  100)/75 = 3.593 kW = 3593 W
H – Head size (m), which is sum of static head (m) and friction Total power required from PV array (if efficiency of system is
losses (m). 82.5%) = (3.593  100)/82.5 = 4.278 kW = 4278 W
Input power incident on the effective area of modules
3.1.2. Sizing of motor Where, Gi = Annual average solar irradiance = 5.92 kWh/m2/day
The pump is operated by DC motor and the power required by and Am = 40.90 m2
motor is depended on the efficiency of the pump. then Pi = 5.92 kWh/m2/day  40.90 m2 = 242.12 kWh/day
Power output of a PV module:
Hydraulic power required by pump Where, PV array ratings are Vmpp = 34.7 V and Impp = 4.35 A
Power required by motor ¼
Efficecny of pump then,
Po = 34.7  4.35 = 150.94150 W
Total number of modules required if total power required is
3.1.3. Sizing of PV array 4800 W = 4800 W/150 W = 32
The sizing of PV array is phenomenon to calculate the total size The motor-pump system efficiency is given as = (2695/3593) 
of PV. The required amount of power also depends on efficiency of 100 = 75%
the system. Efficiency of the PV array = (4.278/4.800)  100 = 89.14%
 R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679 1675

Table 1 3.2.2. Details of pump, water storage tank and pumping network
Location and water resource information. Table 2 presents about details of pump, water storage tank and
Name of location for system installation Karansar, Jaipur pumping system
Latitude 27.10 °N
Longitude 75.44 °E 3.2.3. Details of photovoltaic array
Altitude 368 m
Table 3 provides the detailed information of PV cell and PV
Name of water resource system Deep well to storage
Application for which system used Irrigation
array.
Well diameter 10 cm
Static level depth 50 m 3.2.4. Monthly climate data of the location
Pump depth 60 m
Max. pumping depth 55 m
The climate data includes details of beam radiation, horizontal
radiation and ambient temperature. This data is collected from
data collection centre situated nearby pumping system location
(Table 4).
Table 2
Pumping system details.
3.3. PVsyst results
Type of pump Centrifugal multistage
Specification about motor DC motor, Brushless 3.3.1. Outputs of system design calculation
Power rating 3750 W
The system efficiency from PVsyst is 82.5% and it shows that
Name of manufacturer Grundfos
Volume of storage tank 30 m3 designed system has valuable performance with selection of differ-
Water requirement 30 m3 ent parameters. The results show that most of energy generated
Day of autonomy 0 days from PV array is used by the pumping system and only 11.7% frac-
Diameter 3.2 m
tion of total generated energy is wasted. The water pumping cost
Height 3.7 m
Feeding altitude 4m
from this design is 3.84 INR per m3 and this amount is very less
Total length of pipe 80 m in comparison to diesel pumpset (Table 5).
Size of pipe 200
No. of elbows used 1
3.3.2. System schematic
This schematic design is generated by PVsyst software and has
details of interconnection of the all needed components of solar
water pump. Performance of system is also explained with the help
Table 3
Information about PV array. of V-I characteristic and power curve (Fig. 1).

Name of manufacturer Alex Solar

3.3.3. Reference incident energy
Model no. or name ALP150-24
Type of solar cell Si-poly
This graph of reference incident energy shows average solar
No. of PV modules 32 irradiance per month without considering losses at standard test
No. of modules in series 8 conditions (Fig. 2).
No. of modules in parallel 4
Power rating of per unit module 150 W
Voltage ratings 34.7 V (Vmpp) 3.3.4. Performance ratio (PR)
Current ratings 4.35 A (Impp) It is the ratio of actual yield of PV system to the reference yield.
Total power capacity of PV array 4800 W
Total area of PV array 40.9 m2 Ya
PR ¼
Yr
For this design performance ratio (PR) is obtained 0.631. The
3.2. Simulation using PVsyst software Performance ratio includes the optical losses (Shadings, IAM, Soil-
ing), the array losses (PV conversion, ageing, module quality, mis-
3.2.1. Details of location and water resource match, wiring, etc.) and the system losses (inverter efficiency in
Details of location of system installation and water resource are grid-connected or storage/battery/unused losses in stand-alone,
presented in Table 1. etc.) (Fig. 3).

Table 4
Monthly climatic data.

Month Global Horizontal Beam Radiation Diffuse Radiation Ambient Temperature (°C)
(kWh/M2) (kWh/M2) (kWh/M2)
January 118.7 87.1 31.60 13.60
February 123.5 86.3 37.21 16.50
March 165.5 115.0 50.80 22.80
April 185.7 127.8 57.90 22.70
May 206.2 139.9 66.29 30.80
June 192.9 123.0 66.90 30.80
July 167.7 91.7 76.01 28.60
August 156.6 86.3 70.30 27.20
September 151.5 94.8 56.71 27.20
October 143.2 98.3 44.91 25.00
November 118.8 85.8 32.99 20.00
December 108.5 78.4 30.10 15.50
Year 1839.1 1214.4 624.71 23.47
1676 R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679

Table 5
Main Simulation Results of PV Sys.

Main Simulation Results

System Production Water Pumped – 10629 m3 Specific – 365 m3/kWp/bar
Water needs – 10,950 m3 Missing Water – 2.9%
Energy at Pump – 6547 kWh Specific – 0.62 kWh/ m3
Unused PV energy(Tank Full)-927 kWh Unused Fraction – 11.7%
System Efficiency – 82.5%
Investment Global incl. taxes – 230,320 INR Specific – 48.0 INR/Wp
Yearly Cost Annuities (Loan 12.0%, 20 years)-30,835 INR/yr Running Costs – 10,000 INR/yr
Specific Cost 3.84 INR/m3

Fig. 1. System schematic.

Fig. 2. Reference Incident energy on collector pla.

 R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679 1677

Fig. 3. Performance Ratio (PR) of the system.

Fig. 4. Normalized production and loss factors distribution: Nominal Power 4800 W.

3.3.5. Normalized production and loss factors

This result shows cumulative analysis of total production from
PV array and the different loss factors during power generation.
The power generation and losses of system are represented in
bar chart with different color to understand system (Fig. 4).

3.3.6. Flow rate function of pump power-

This diagram shows relation between energy availability
at pump and flow rate of the pump. As the energy available at
pump will increase the water flow rate of pump will also increase
(Fig. 5).

3.3.7. Loss diagram

 The loss diagram helps to identify quality of solar water pump-
ing system design with a quick and insight look. The losses
which are represented in loss diagram are temperature loss,
soiling loss, module quality loss, mismatch loss, wiring loss,
conversion loss etc. This loss result can be analyzed further
for improvement of system efficiency (Fig. 6).
Fig. 5. Flow rate function of pump power.
3.3.8. Economic calculation
By doing economic calculation the financial analysis can be
done easily and this is helpful to calculate water and energy cost.
The factors which generally used in economic calculation are total
1678 R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679
Fig. 6. Sankey diagram showing system loss distribution.
investment, system financing and per unit (kWh/m3) cost analysis
(Table 6).
4. Discussion on PV syst software results
 PVsyst simulation results helped to analyze design process
through any software medium.
 Pre-design development using software helps to get predictions
about possible outcomes for real time system.
 The complete simulation analysis helps to understand software
requirement in terms of parameters which are used to fill for
designing the system.
 PVsyst result showing system efficiency 82.50% and it proves
the accuracy of design parameters which we chose during the
designing process.
 The graphical approach of PVsyst helps to explore effect of dif-
ferent parameters on system performance and also helps to
understand interrelation between two parameters.
 Sankey diagram of result shows energy flow and losses of the
system. This loss result can be analyzed further for improve-
ment of system efficiency.
 Economic calculation using PVsyst helps to understand cost
analysis of system by taking different financial parameters in
consideration. This analysis gives result about per m3 water
pumping cost which helps to compare solar water pump with
other pumping system.
5. Conclusion
This study presents simplified design optimization approach for
Solar PV Water Pumping (SPVWP) System with the help of theoret-
ical computations and PVsyst simulation software. In the solar
pumping system analysis, theoretical computation approach facil-
itates in estimating design and performance parameters and PV
syst simulation approach facilitates to understand effects of
selected parameters on performance of the system. The results of
PVsyst software are very useful for performance evaluation analy-
sis and to understand complete step by step process of system
design. This paper may help researchers, designers and engineers
to understand design mechanism of solar water pumping system
with simplified computational approach. Pre design development
of system using simulation software may assist to understand pre-
dictions about possible outcomes for real time on-field system and
results can be analyzed further for improvement of system perfor-
mance by comparative technical and economical assessment. Eval-
uation of per m3 water pumping cost may help to compare solar
water pump with other pumping system.

Table 6
Economic calculation of SPVWPS using PVsyst.
Investment
PV modules(Pnom = 150
Wp)
Supports/Integration
Pump (Pnom = *50 W)
Controller, Converter
Settings, wiring,..
Transport and assembly
Engineering
Substation underworth
Gross Investment (without
taxes)
Financing
Gross investment (without
taxes)
Taxes on investment (VAT)
Gross investment (including
VAT)
Subsidies
Net investment (all taxes
included)
Annuities
Maintenance
Insurance, annual taxes
Provision for pump
replacement
Total yearly cost
Water and Energy cost
Energy used for pumping
Excess energy (tank full)
Cost of used energy
Water Pumped
Cost of pumped water
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Rakhi Sharma: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Software,
Writing - review & editing. Shivanshu Sharma: Software,
R. Sharma et al. / Materials Today: Proceedings 21 (2020) 1673–1679 1679
Validation, Data curation, Methodology, Resources. Sumit Tiwari:
Visualization, Resources.
32 4500 INR/unit 144,000 INR Declaration of Competing Interest
units
160,000 INR
1 30,000 INR/unit 30,000 INR
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
units cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
40,000 INR to influence the work reported in this paper.
15,000 INR
5000 INR
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