An insight into the varied uses of solar-powered pumps in India | In India, agriculture accounts for 17.4% of the GDP and more than half the labour force is into this industry. As we all know water is one of the major essentials for farming and as the canal based irrigation system is limited, farmers in most parts of the country are dependent upon pumps sets for irrigation. Pumps are powered by electricity or diesel fuel. However, the supply of electricity and diesel fuel remains a problem today in many places around the world. According to a government study, there are about 18 million pumps in the country which are connected with grid power. In addition, there are more than seven million pumps running with diesel.
However, the lack of a electric power infrastructure, an unstable and insufficient electricity supply, and the surging price of diesel in the wake of petroleum shortages have made it less practical for using either electricity or diesel powered pumps for farm irrigation. This hinders India from the growth and modernisation of its agriculture and suggests there is a tremendous scope of adapting to the latest technology.
A solar water pump can run by solar energy through photovoltaic cell. This is the most efficient mode of generating electricity. The government is looking to swap 26 million groundwater pumps for more efficient irrigation models powered by the sun which would also save about $6 billion a year in power and diesel subsidies.
With years of experience in energy management, Delta in collaboration with a system integrator delivered an alternative water pumping solution powered by solar energy. A solar-powered pump runs on electricity generated by photovoltaic panels or the thermal energy available from collected sunlight as opposed to grid electricity or diesel run water pumps.
Utilising the abundance of sunlight in India, this solution integrated solar panels with inverters and AC motors, and was adopted in 2013. Since then there has been no looking back and the number of installations have grown by leaps and bounds.
Conventionally, solar pumping transfers the direct current produced by solar panels to drive DC motors. With the sunlight intensity changing during the day, this approach requires another Maximum Power Point Tracker (MMPT) function which applies proper resistance (load) in obtaining maximum power with the irradiation fluctuating. Batteries are also needed for storing power to feed the DC motors continuously.
The company’s solution saves the design of MMPT but still offers equivalent or even better efficiency. Adopting an AC motor drive with built-in programmable logic controller, this solution can manage functions similar to MMPT through simple programming and obtain the best power possible even when the radiation intensity constantly changes.
For Delta’s solution, the AC motor drive converts the direct current produced by solar panels to alternating current which directly drives the AC motors in variable frequency. Compared to DC motors, using AC motors for variable frequency operation in the system provides better operation efficiency, flexibility in pump control, better heat tolerance, and energy savings.
The solar pumping solution offers high reliability and efficiency in a compact design and simple structure. Weighing productivity and ecofriendliness, the organisation’s solution provides a practical alternative for energy-intensive farming in places where power infrastructure deployment is challenging. The company is dedicated to provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow.
Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy in the world. Solar power is not only an answer to today’s energy crisis but is also an environmental friendly form of energy. With the price of solar panels dropping over the last couple of years and government subsidies increasing for using solar power systems, solar power adoption will become more popular and available for all.
Solar powered pumps can not only replace diesel powered pumps in India’s agricultural zones but can also increase agricultural output by making more irrigation water available to farmers. Although irrigation is at the forefront of solar powered pump application, the same can be used for supplying village water supply, drinking water, fisheries, horticulture etc.
BK Bhayana
Product Manager (AC Drives)
Delta India Electronics