Ekos Solar Power

Working of Solar Water Pump

Solar water pumps are like conventional water pumps except that they are run on Solar energy. It can be a completely independent system without any other source or can be backed by another source like a grid.

Solar Water Pumps are systems that pump water from a water source depending on the intensity of sunlight falling on the solar panels. In this system, the light falling on the solar panels gets converted to electricity and in turn, this electricity runs a motor to pump water from a water body. With the increase in the intensity of the sunlight during daytime, the amount of electricity produced also increases. This in-turn increases the output of the water pump.

The major differentiating factor about the solar water pumps from the other solar PV systems is that this does not necessarily require another source of power(grid connection or battery back-up) for its operation.

Broadly categorizing, solar water pumps can be of two type:

DC pumps
AC pumps

This classification is based on the type of pump that is used. In case of AC pumps, a variable frequency drive(VFD) needs to be used for converting the DC from the solar to AC for the pump’s requirement. The advantage of Solar water pumps is that they can work independent of the grid supply and these are complementary to the water requirement. On cloudy and rainy days, when the water is pumped from the bore well reduces(due to lesser intense sunlight), the requirement of water is also generally lesser.

Apart from the major use of solar water pumps in irrigation purposes, these systems are also used for sanitation and drinking water purposes. The biggest advantage of the solar water pumps is that they can provide a reliable supply of water independent of any power source, which is one of the basic need for everyone on this planet.

Advantages of Solar Water Pump

No external source of energy like running grid or fuel is needed.
No external source of energy like running grid or fuel is needed.
Issues like Low voltage/Single Phase/Motor burning are taken care.
Can be installed in remote areas where there is no access for electricity or fuel like petrol or diesel.
Low maintenance due to less moving parts, unlike diesel pumps.
No lubrication needed.