Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems

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1 Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems DC Surface Pump for Livestock Watering Rural electric cooperatives in the United States are beginning to supply PV power to their customers who need to pump water for livestock. The conventional method of service was to extend the grid line to the isolated well & emdash, even though the income from the customer could never pay for the maintenance of the line, let alone provide a return on the original investment. As these remote lines require replacement, either because of age or storm damage, a number of utilities have discovered that a PV pumping system can be provided for the customer at a fraction of the cost of replacing the line. This example is of a rancher in Nebraska that requires about 500 gallons of water per day for 40 cows. The pasture where the well is located is used in wintertime only there is a 2,500 gallon tank near the well that provides water (gravity fed) to smaller water tanks distributed throughout the pasture. The load is critical as the cattle cannot go without water more than one day in winter. This small pump uses a 12 volt dc two stage diaphragm pump and is designed to pump over 500 gallon per day (~ 2,000 liters per day) from a level of 20 meters. The water level in this well is only 10 meters with a maximum drawdown of 6 meters. A float switch in the main watering tank controls operation of the pump. Site Potter, Nebraska Location/Elevation 40°N - 103° W - 200 meters Environment Grassland Temperature Range (°C) -10 to 35 Maximum Wind Speed (m/s) 20 Availability Required near 100 percent (critical) Days of Storage 4 - Fiberglass Tank Source Cased 3-inch Borehole Dynamic Head (m) 17 Water Required 2000 liters/day (500 gpd) October to March Installation The PV modules are mounted on a passively controlled tracking structure and tilted at 55° for maximum winter performance. Sunlight resistant USE wire is used to interconnect the modules. A switch box was attached to the pole and the linear current booster was installed in the box. The pump was attached to 2-inch plastic pipe and installed in the 3-inch bore hole. A float switch was installed near the top of the holding tank and the control cables are protected from damage by conduit. The system was grounded to the well casing using a short length of No. 6 stranded copper wire. Worksheet 1-Calculate Water Pumping Load

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Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems

Transcript of Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems

Page 1: Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems

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Photovoltaic Power Water Pumping Systems

DC Surface Pump for Livestock Watering

Rural electric cooperatives in the United States are beginning to supply PV power to

their customers who need to pump water for livestock. The conventional method of

service was to extend the grid line to the isolated well & emdash, even though the

income from the customer could never pay for the maintenance of the line, let alone

provide a return on the original investment. As these remote lines require

replacement, either because of age or storm damage, a number of utilities have

discovered that a PV pumping system can be provided for the customer at a fraction

of the cost of replacing the line. This example is of a rancher in Nebraska that requires

about 500 gallons of water per day for 40 cows. The pasture where the well is located

is used in wintertime only there is a 2,500 gallon tank near the well that provides

water (gravity fed) to smaller water tanks distributed throughout the pasture. The load

is critical as the cattle cannot go without water more than one day in winter. This

small pump uses a 12 volt dc two stage diaphragm pump and is designed to pump

over 500 gallon per day (~ 2,000 liters per day) from a level of 20 meters. The water

level in this well is only 10 meters with a maximum drawdown of 6 meters. A float

switch in the main watering tank controls operation of the pump.

Site Potter, Nebraska

Location/Elevation 40°N - 103° W - 200 meters

Environment Grassland

Temperature Range (°C) -10 to 35

Maximum Wind Speed (m/s) 20

Availability Required near 100 percent (critical)

Days of Storage 4 - Fiberglass Tank

Source Cased 3-inch Borehole

Dynamic Head (m) 17

Water Required 2000 liters/day (500 gpd) October to March

Installation

The PV modules are mounted on a passively controlled tracking structure and tilted at

55° for maximum winter performance. Sunlight resistant USE wire is used to

interconnect the modules. A switch box was attached to the pole and the linear current

booster was installed in the box. The pump was attached to 2-inch plastic pipe and

installed in the 3-inch bore hole. A float switch was installed near the top of the

holding tank and the control cables are protected from damage by conduit. The system

was grounded to the well casing using a short length of No. 6 stranded copper wire.

Worksheet 1-Calculate Water Pumping Load

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Worksheet 2-Design Current and Array Tilt

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Worksheet 4-Calculate System Array Size

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Worksheet 2-Pumped Water and Pumping Rate

Controller Specifications

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This linear current booster was used between the pump and the PV array to provide a

better match between source and load.

Switches and Protection Components

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DC Wire Sizing Specifications

The wiring diagram for this system is represented below.