Comprehensive Design Tool for Sizing Solar Water Pumping System in Egypt

• Published in: Applied solar energy Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 18 - 29
• Main Authors: Said M. A. Ibrahim, El-Ghetany, H. H., Shabak, A. G. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Clean energy; Computer simulation; Design; Diesel; Diesel generators; Electrical Machines and Networks; Engineering; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaics; Power Electronics; Pumping; Rural areas; Solar energy; Solar Engineering Materials Science; Solar radiation; Solar simulation; Systems design; Water demand; design tool; water demand; efficiency; PV sizing; solar water pumping system
• ISSN: 0003-701X; 1934-9424
• DOI: 10.3103/S0003701X20010053

Solar water pumping systems are considered one of the best solutions especially in rural and isolated areas where the traditional sources of power (electricity or diesel) are unavailable or very costly. It represents a clean source of energy, available with abundant quantities with very good average daily solar radiation of about 5.5 kW h/m 2 /day. The present work provides a comprehensive study for a complete design of the solar pumping system components with different water demands. A computer program is designed and developed to offer the system design and the solar simulation model is presented. The hydraulic power, photovoltaic (PV) peak power, PV required area, and total system costs for different total dynamic heads and different water demands ranged from 1–1000 m 3 /day are calculated. The present research is a good tool for designers, users, and buyers of such systems. It is found that the PV solar water pumping system is more economically feasible than diesel generators up to a water demand of 100 m 3 /day. The model is a needed tool for all concerned in the field of PV solar water pumping including costumers.