Solar powered pump sets are the attractive alternative to the millions of diesel operated pump sets being used for agriculture, in the areas where grid connectivity is either not established or its condition is uncertain and erratic.
There are multiple configurations of solar powered pumps (AC and DC) in the range of 1 HP to 5 HP required for agriculture purpose. Solar powered Brush Less DC (BLDC) motor-pump is considered more suitable, due to its higher efficiency over full operating range as compared to AC pumps.
India has more than 18 million grid connected pumps and 8 million diesel operated pump sets used for agriculture. Pumps of 5 HP rating are widely used in agriculture. In spite of higher running costs, diesel pump-sets are used wherever grid connectivity is not established or its condition is uncertain and erratic.
Solar powered pump set is an attractive alternative to the above in the Indian context. There are multiple configurations of solar powered pumps (AC and DC) in the range of 1 HP to 5 HP available in the market. Brushless DC (BLDC) motor pumps are not manufactured in India and are mostly imported. Solar powered AC pumps are locally manufactured; however, they suffer from poor efficiency and require higher capacity solar panel. Solar powered DC technology (BLDC motor-pump) is considered more suitable due to its higher efficiency over wide operating range as compared to AC pumps. BLDC motor-pump having better efficiency results in higher water output for the given capacity of solar panels as compared to AC pump.
Sr. No. | Type | Single Stage, Mono-block, Centrifugal pump driven by BLDC motor |
---|---|---|
1 | Pump Rating | 5 HP |
2 | Head Range | 17 to 26 m |
3 | Flow Rate | 840 to 480 lpm |
4 | Suction/ Delivery Size | 80/65 mm |
5 | Motor | 3.7 kW / 5 HP, BLDC 225 V, 15 A, 2880 RPM, S1 Duty, Class B insulation, Efficiency 92%, IP 55 |
6 | Controller | IGBT based PWM power controller with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Technique Input : 190-350 V DC, Output : 230 V, 16 A, 100 Hz Protections: Input reverse polarity, Over voltage, Under voltage, Over load, Short circuit, Pump dry-run, Pump block discharge, Over temperature |
7 | Solar Capacity | 5 kWp , VOC – 360 VDC |
8 | Solar panel Area | 35 m2 |