Solar-powered pump
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2011) |
 | This article contains instructions, advice, or how-to content. The purpose of Wikipedia is to present facts, not to train. Please help improve this article either by rewriting the how-to content or by moving it to Wikiversity or Wikibooks. (December 2011) |
A solar-powered pump is a pump running on electricity generated by photovoltaics. The operation of solar powered pumps is more economical and has less environmental impact than pumps powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE).
Contents
Components
Unlike a normal pump (such as positive displacement pumps, ...), the solar powered pump is actually a more of a dictionary phrase than a technical one. It is only used to describe that there's a pump, being powered by another device (such as solar panels), being powered by the renewable electricity generated from the sun (solar electricity).
A solar powered pump thus consists of 4 parts :
- the actual fluid pump (that actually moves (pumps) gases or liquids under pressure)
- the controller (adjusting speed and output power according to input from solar panels)
- the engine (usually an electric motor)
- the energy source being powered by the sun (usually photovoltaic cells (solar panels))
Solar array (photovoltaic cells, solar panels) takes up 50% - 80% of the whole setup cost, which is the most expensive part.
There are two major types of solar pumps, DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current). DC solar pump:
- power output up to 2 kW
- suitable for small applications (garden fountain, landscaping)
- relatively low-priced (require slightly less solar panel)
- low compatibility (only selected controller work selected motor)
AC solar pump: An inverter is needed for an AC solar pump setup. The inverter converts DC generated from solar array to AC to drive the pumps in the mean time (as the controller) to control output and speed.
- power output range from 150W to 55 kW
- suitable for various applications from landscaping to irrigation, especially large scale such as farmland irrigation, desert control, etc.
- high compatibility (inverter works with different kinds of AC motor and pump)
Applications
Water pumping
Solar PV water pumping systems are used for irrigation and drinking water in India. The majority of the pumps are fitted with a 200 watt - 3,000 watt motor are powered with 1,800 Wp PV array which can deliver about 140,000 liters of water/day from a total head of 10 meters. By 30 September 2006, a total of 7,068 solar PV water pumping systems have been installed.[1]
Chemical injection
Many oil and gas wells require the accurate injection (metering) of various chemicals, under pressure to ensure safe and environmentally sustainable operation. Historically, these chemical injection pumps (CIP) have been driven by a gas reciprocating motor utilising the well's gas and exhausting the gas into the atmosphere. As this results in adding to the Earth's Greenhouse Gas problems as well as other environmental issues, Solar Powered Chemical Injection Pumps (Solar CIP) have been a welcome development.
The installation of a Solar Array (Photovoltaic cells) not only provides a sustainable power source for the Solar CIPs but can also provide an electric source to run remote SCADA type diagnostics with remote control and Satellite/Cell communications from very remote locations to the desk-top/notebook computer.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Note that the pump-shaft has been removed from the windpump and it is no longer connected to the borehole; instead, the borehole now contains an electric pump powered by the solar panels.
References
