Water Pumps

A Solar Powered Water Pump is one of the ideal ways of utilising solar energy. They are widely used in many developing countries to pump water from wells and rivers to supply drinking water and also to irrigate crops and provide water for livestock.

A typical PV-powered pumping system consists of a PV array that powers an electric motor, which drives a pump. The water is pumped from the ground or stream into a storage tank that provides a gravity feed.

Solar Water Pumps will effectively store energy in the sense that it is raising water from one level to store it at another, an activity that must otherwise be carried out manually or with a diesel pump.As the water is used the solar pump forces more water into the storage tank ensuring a continuous supply is readily available.

With a basic system, no batteries are normally required as all solar energy will go towards lifting water.

TYPES OF PUMPS

There are many different types of solar water
pumping systems,

• Lower-flow deep well DC submersible pumps
• Higher yield AC surface pumps

DESIGN
The ongoing water requirements, the water storage volume, the amount of sunshine, the depth of well and any additional 'lift', any horizontal run long with the size of pipes, must all be taken into account when designing the optimum solar water pumping system.

Though solar powered water pumps are here indicated for applications in the developing world, they are equally suited to any off-grid application whether as a standalone system or part of a complete off-grid energy solution.