Roman photovoltaic water pump inverter customization

This paper describes the design and development of a solar photovoltaic (PV) inverter which is used to drive a water pump for irrigation purposes. The inverter output is fed to a three phase ac induction motor which drives the pump.

Using solar based water pumps can bring about a positive growth in the farm output especially in the interior parts of the country where grid availability is discontinuous. A solar water pump comprises of solar PV arrays, dc-dc converter with MPPT, a three phase inverter-filter driving an induction motor which in turn runs the pump.

Single-stage centrifugal pumps are frequently used in PV shallow water pumping for low head applications whereas for PV subterranean water pumping and surface water pumping with higher heads, multistage centrifugal pumps are more suitable. Other pump types such as progressive cavity pumps and piston pumps have also been utilized .

Utilization of this abundantly available clean solar power for pumping applications can prove to be a blessing for the rural population whose sole income is from agriculture. Using solar based water pumps can bring about a positive growth in the farm output especially in the interior parts of the country where grid availability is discontinuous.

Solar water pumps are driven by either dc motors or ac motors. The dc voltage generated by the solar PV arrays are inverted, filtered and fed to an induction motor . The block diagram of a solar water pump is as shown below. Fig 1. Block Diagram of a 3 phase Solar Water Pump