Accepted Manuscript

Solar Photovoltaics Pumps Operating Head Selection for the Optimum Efficiency

Kamlesh Yadav, Atul Kumar, O.S. Sastry, Rupesh Wandhare

PII: S0960-1481(18)31332-6

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2018.11.013

Reference: RENE 10776

To appear in: Renewable Energy

Received Date: 14 July 2018

Accepted Date: 04 November 2018

Please cite this article as: Kamlesh Yadav, Atul Kumar, O.S. Sastry, Rupesh Wandhare, Solar
Photovoltaics Pumps Operating Head Selection for the Optimum Efficiency, Renewable Energy
(2018), doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2018.11.013

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to
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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

1 Solar Photovoltaics Pumps Operating Head Selection for the Optimum

2 Efficiency
3 Kamlesh Yadava,b,* , Atul Kumarb, O.S. Sastrya, Rupesh Wandharec

4 aNational Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurgaon, India

5 bTERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India
6 cIndian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India
7

9 Abstract: Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumping (SPVWP) systems have established their
10 potential as the most dependable and economically viable systems compared to the diesel based
11 or grid-based electrical pumps. This paper presents an in-depth investigation of the energy
12 efficiency of SPVWP system based on solar radiation, temperature, and operational heads. The
13 study also identifies the shortcomings in the conventional design method based on Best
14 Efficiency Point (BEP) concept that is applicable only in case of fixed frequency and voltage
15 type pumps. However, in the case of SPVWP systems, due to variations in the solar intensity,
16 ambient temperature, and water head, BEP concept does not offer the best efficiency design.
17 The study experimentally proves that the model based on weighted system efficiency and Solar
18 Operational Duty Head (SODH) increases the performance of SPVWP system (~9% gain) and
19 is consistently provide higher efficiencies in any season or under any climatic conditions.

20 Keywords: Solar Photovoltaic Water Pump, Design Duty Point, Solar operating Duty Point

21

*Corresponding Author. Tel. : +91-9818068248

E-mail Address: kamlesh.yadav97@gmail.com (K.Yadav); atul.kumar@terisas.ac.in (A.Kumar);
sastry284@gmail.com (O. Sastry); rupeshwandhare@gmail.com (R. Wandhare);

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22

Nomenclature

BEP Best efficiency point 𝐼𝑏 Beam radiation

BLDC Brushless DC 𝐼𝑏,𝑛 Normal incidence beam radiation
BOS Balance of system 𝐼𝑑 Diffuse radiation

MNRE Ministry of New and Renewable Energy 𝐼𝑑,𝑇 Diffuse radiation on the tilted plane

MPPT Maximum power point technique 𝐼𝑝 In-plane irradiance

NISE National Institute of Solar Energy 𝐼𝑇 Radiation on a sloped surface
NIWE National Institute of Wind Energy 𝑃𝑚 Maximum Power in Watt
𝑃𝑚 Maximum Power in Watt at the standard test
PWM Pulse width modulation 0
condition
𝑅𝑏 The ratio of Beam radiation on the tilted
SODH Solar Operating Duty Head
surface to that on Horizontal surface
SPV Solar photovoltaic 𝑇 Temperature of the SPV module
SPVWP Solar photovoltaic water pumping 𝑇0 Temperature at STC
𝑇𝑆𝑇𝐶 Temperature at standard test condition (25
SVPWM Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation
ºC)
𝑈𝑃𝑉 Heat exchange coefficient for module
TDH Total dynamic head
surface
VVVF Variable Voltage Variable Frequency 𝛽 Tilt angle

Coefficients for the angles of incidence

a of the cone of the circumsolar radiation 𝛽𝑆𝑇𝐶 Temperature coefficient of maximum power
on the tilted horizontal surface

Coefficients for the angles of incidence

b of the cone of the circumsolar radiation 𝜌𝑔 Diffuse reflectance
on the tilted horizontal surface
𝐸 Inverter terminal voltage 𝑣 Wind speed close to the module
𝐸𝑒 Maximum Power correction factor for
Irradiance 𝛾 temperature ºC-1

𝐸𝑜 Standard irradiance 1000 W/m2 𝜃𝑧 Zenith angle

𝐹1 Circumsolar coefficients ∈ Clearness index

𝐹2 Horizon brightness coefficients ∆ Brightness
𝜂𝑆𝑇𝐶 Efficiency of a Photovoltaic panel at 1000
𝐼 Global horizontal irradiance
W/m2
23

24 1. Introduction

25 Solar photovoltaic (SPV) technology proved its potential as a sustainable source of energy and
26 demonstrated the fastest growth compared with any other renewable energy technology over
27 the last 15 years in the world. Since 2009, the cost per watt peak of SPV panel has declined
28 significantly to around 80% [1]. Consequently, the cost of energy in large utility-scale SPV

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29 power plants and the prices of off-grid direct coupled solar applications such as pumping water
30 for irrigation and drinking water reduced substantially thus demonstrating their potential as
31 alternatives to less reliable conventional systems. Earlier, grid-tied pumping system were front-
32 runners because they were cheapest and easy to install and operate. However, these
33 conventional pumping systems suffered because of erratic electricity supply from grid, non-
34 availability during the daytime and occasional failures. SPV water pumps emerged as the most
35 appropriate option in those conditions where laying and maintaining reliable grid lines was a
36 highly cost intensive proposition. Many techno-economic studies particularly in developing
37 African and Asian countries such as India and Bangladesh have shown that SPV water pumping
38 systems are viable due to their high solar resource, geophysical demographic conditions, and
39 availability of easy financing options [2–9]. Furthermore, the recently launched International
40 Solar Alliance by India and France stressed the need for a special programme on scaling solar
41 applications for water pumping need in solar rich nations of the world [10].

42 The development of SPV water pumping systems is a result of strenuous efforts by the
43 research community contributing right form system-definition, terminology, and optimization
44 of the system components including SPV array design, controller, motor and pump based on
45 water requirements and depth of water. Initial studies explained the viability of solar
46 photovoltaic water pumping (SPVWP) system by comparing two basic parameters based on
47 m4/day notation, where m3 is the volume of the water pumped from the particular head (m) to
48 other options [11]. In the later years, optimization of the system design took place through
49 increasing system efficiency over SPV modules, power converters, motors, and pumps. SPV
50 modules with higher energy yields encouraged by different designs such as array
51 reconfiguration with the time of day to reach early morning threshold energy levels [12],
52 subsequently optimizing to fit for noon high-intensity levels. Further, solar thermal-PV hybrid
53 panels are used simultaneously for heating as well as water pumping purpose [13]. A 3%
54 improvement in the module efficiency was observed by lowering the SPV cell temperature by
55 spraying water [13–16]. In the power converters, the improvements are proposed through
56 different control strategies such as Pulse width modulation (PWM), Space Vector Pulse Width
57 Modulation (SVPWM) and Variable Voltage Variable Frequency (VVVF) control. Regulation
58 of the DC-DC controller, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique with fuzzy logic
59 control [17–20] and sliding mode control [21]. In the electro-mechanical side performance,
60 advancement has been proposed through use of centrifugal pumps with variable rotational
61 speed [22]. Also, a modular number of working stage in the deep well pumps and improvement

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62 in the impeller design for maximizing throughput has been proposed. Apart from the above,
63 researchers also proposed numerous approaches for the optimization of SPVWP system
64 through design methods based on the demand, consumption [23,24], loss of power supply
65 probability [25], site-specific irradiation and temperature based models [26,27].

66 There exists pronunced variations in not only the solar radiation and temperature but
67 also in water head, discharge rate, operating frequency/motor-pump set speed, voltages, and
68 losses. Hence, there is a need for investigation of solar water pumping system’s performance
69 with variations in various parameters to achieve appropriate design and optimization. This
70 study presents a detailed analysis and proposes a new term viz. Solar Operating Duty Head
71 (SODH) for the optimum operation of the SPVWP system for Indian conditions. The duty point
72 specification as per the grid supply misleads the results when the conventional grid fed motor-
73 pump set is driven with solar PV fed controller. Duty point of the solar fed motor pump set
74 (peak efficiency) varies with the weather conditions. It is the overall energy efficiency of the
75 system which is of interest. The methodology for the selection of the most efficient pump for
76 any particular location and the selected head is depicted in Figure 1.

77 The paper is organized as follows:-

78 A brief overview of the used models for solar radiation, mode of tracking, module temperature,
79 array power output, pump controller efficiency, and motor & pumps is presented in Section 2.
80 Details of the experimental setup facility are provided in Section 3. Section 4 describes the
81 methodology adopted in the study. Results and discussion are presented in Section 5 of the
82 paper with Conclusions of the study provided in Section 6.

83 2. Model Description:
84
85 Selection of the SPVWP system depends on the site radiation and load demand requirement.
86 Following models for solar radiation, tracking, SPV panel temperature, SPV panel output, and
87 pumps are reviewed.
88
89 2.1 Solar Radiation Model
90 In ground measurements, most of the radiation data is available in the form of diffuse, direct
91 and global horizontal radiation. Further, it is transformed on the collector plane on a particular
92 angle and tracking condition. For anisotropic sky conditions, a model by Perez et al., (1980)
93 provides the diffuse radiation on the tilt surface is given by Eq. 1 as below;

94 [
𝐼𝑑,𝑇 = 𝐼𝑑 (1 ‒ 𝐹1) ( 2 )
1 + cos 𝛽 𝑎
+ 𝐹1 + 𝐹2 sin 𝛽
𝑏 ] (1)

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95 Where 𝐹1 and 𝐹2 are circumsolar and horizon brightness coefficients; a and b are terms that

96 account for the angles of incidence of the cone of the circumsolar radiation on the tilted
97 horizontal surface. The brightness coefficients are the function of the three parameters viz. sky
98 condition, the zenith angle ( 𝜃𝑧), clearness ( ∈ ) and brightness (∆). Further ∈ is a function of

99 hours of diffuse radiation (𝐼𝑑 ) and normal incidence beam radiation (𝐼𝑏,𝑛) [28]. So, the

100 radiation on the tilt surface is given in following the equation.

101 [
𝐼𝑇 = 𝐼𝑏𝑅𝑏 + 𝐼𝑑 (1 ‒ 𝐹1) (1 + 2cos 𝛽) + 𝐹1𝑎𝑏 + 𝐹2 sin 𝛽] + (1 ‒ cos
𝐼 𝜌𝑔 2
𝛽
) (2)

102 Perez model is well defined and is widely used by most of the SPV designing softwares
103 such as PVsyst [29]. Accordingly, for this study, Perez model is considered for the radiation on
104 the tilted plane of the collector.

105 2.2 Tracking Models

106 The tracking increases the energy yield of the solar power plant and solar water pumping.
107 There are two types of tracking system, i.e., one axis and two-axis tracking system. One axis
108 tracking types are tracking on tilted or horizontal north-south axis, tracking on horizontal east-
109 west axis and tracking on vertical axis respectively. Further, the two-axis tracking types are
110 Frame north-south and Frame east-west respectively.

111 In this study, one axis vertical axis tracking is taken because of single axis solar
112 pumping installation in India is more in numbers. For this, the angle of incidence can be
113 minimized by making surface azimuth and solar azimuth equal [30]. Accordingly, the angle of
114 incidence is given in Eq. 3.

115 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝜃 = 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃𝑍cos 𝛽 + 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑍𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝛽 (3)

116 Where;

117 𝛽 = tilt angle (changes as per seasonal tracking)

118

119 2.3 SPV Panel Temperature Models

120 Photovoltaic panel temperature depends on the irradiance on the SPV module plane, wind
121 speed, and wind direction; Mattei et al. (2005) proposed to model the SPV cell temp 𝑇𝑐 as

122 following [31];

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𝑈𝑃𝑉 (𝑣) + 𝐼𝑝 [𝜏𝛼 ‒ 𝜂𝑆𝑇𝐶 × (1 ‒ 𝛽𝑆𝑇𝐶 𝑇𝑆𝑇𝐶)]

123 𝑇𝑐 = 𝑈𝑝𝑣 (𝑣) + 𝛽𝑆𝑇𝐶 𝑇𝑆𝑇𝐶 𝐼𝑝
(4)

124 Where 𝜏𝛼 = 0.81

125 𝑈𝑃𝑉 (𝑣) = 26.6 + 2.3 𝑣 Called mattei 1.

126 𝑈𝑃𝑉 (𝑣) = 24.1 + 2.9 𝑣 Called mattei 2.

127 Schwingshackl et al. (2013) compared the error with a different model. As the mattei 1 model
128 has the least error for cell temperature for polycrystalline module, this study considers the
129 mattei model for temperature estimation [32].

130 2.4 SPV Panel Output Model

131 SPV array output can be derived from the models with the module plane irradiance and module
132 temperature. Marion et al.,(2008) have compared the power temperature coefficient model,
133 SPV Form model and bilinear interpolation model [33]. For ease of reference, PV form model
134 has been taken into consideration.
𝐸𝑒
135 𝑃𝑚 = 𝑃
𝐸𝑜 𝑚0
[1 + 𝛾 (𝑇 ‒ 𝑇0)] (5)

136 For irradiance below 125 W/m2

0.008𝐸 2
𝑒
137 𝑃𝑚 = 𝐸𝑜
𝑃𝑚 [1 + 𝛾 (𝑇 ‒ 𝑇0)] (6)
0

138 2.5 SPVWP Controller Efficiency:

139 In SPVWP applications, mostly the variable frequency drives are used for AC motors and
140 BLDC drives are used for the DC motors. These drives are used without electrical storage, as
141 electrical storage increases the initial system cost. The efficiency of the power converter mainly
142 depends on the input DC voltage and operating frequency. The operating frequency changes
143 due to available input DC power and pump’s characteristic which is evident in Figure 2. This
144 study focuses on the variable frequency drives for AC motors. In most cases, three-phase power
145 converters are used. These converters use vector control, or field-oriented control using
146 reference frame transformation technique. The following equation gives the terminal voltage
147 of the inverter in case of space vector switching method used for inverter current, 𝑖 [34]
𝑉𝑑𝑐 𝑖
148 𝐸 = 𝑚 × √3 ‒ |𝑖|𝑉𝑒 ‒ 𝑟𝑒 × 𝑖 (7)

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149 and 𝑉𝑒 are given by:

150 𝑉𝑒 = 𝑉𝑑 ‒ (𝑄𝑟𝑟 + 𝑄𝑡𝑐) × 𝑓𝑠 × 𝑟𝑜𝑛 + 𝑡𝑟𝑟 × 𝑓𝑠 × 𝑉𝑑𝑐 (8)

151 where 𝑄𝑟𝑟 and 𝑄𝑡𝑐 are reverse recovery charge and charge corresponding to tailing current

152 respectively, trr is the reverse recovery time, and 𝑉𝑑 is the on state voltage of the diode, 𝑓𝑠 is

153 the switching frequency, and 𝑉𝑑𝑐 is the DC link voltage.

154 2.6 Motor & Pump Model:

155
156 Pump adds momentum to the working fluids like water. Pumps are mainly of positive
157 displacement and centrifugal type. Either types can be used for water pumping applications,
158 but centrifugal pumps are the most common because they are safe, straightforward to operate,
159 require minimal maintenance and have a long life [35]. In most of the agriculture and drinking
160 water applications in India, the centrifugal pumps coupled with the induction or Brushless DC
161 (BLDC) motors are used. Therefore, this study focuses on the solar pumps based on centrifugal
162 pumps only.

163 Centrifugal pumps are further divided into three categories- axial, radial and mixed
164 flow respectively. According to Douglas et al. (2006), the characteristic of a pump depends on
165 the rate of change of angular momentum, number of blades in an impeller, blade shape &
166 thickness, and the width of the impeller [36]. Further, Douglas et al. (2006) concluded that the
167 characteristics of the centrifugal pump also depend on the fluid (water) parameters: the flow
168 rate (Q) and the head (H) and mechanical parameters: the power (P) fed to the pump, speed (N)
169 and Diameter (D) of impeller and efficiency (η) of the pump. The interrelation of these
170 quantities is explained in Figure 3.

171 Accordingly, the overall efficiency of the pump at constant speed is given by the ratio of Power
172 output of the machine to the Power input of the machine.

𝜌𝑔𝐻𝑄
173 𝜂= 𝑃
= 𝜂𝑚 𝜂 𝜂 𝜂 (9)
𝑖 𝑐 𝑉

174 Where;

175 𝜌 is the density of the fluid.

176 𝑔 is the gravitational force

177 𝐻 is Operating head including losses.

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178 𝑄 is the volumetric flow.

179 𝑃 is the input power of the machine.

180 𝜂𝑚 ,𝜂𝑖 , 𝜂𝑐 and 𝜂𝑉 are the mechanical efficiency, impeller efficiency, casing efficiency and

181 useful fluid efficiency.

182 Therefore, according to the most of pump selection’s guidebooks, the fixed frequency
183 (50 Hz, 60 Hz) pumps are having varying efficiency levels. The operating head at which the
184 pump has the highest efficiency is known as best efficiency point (BEP)/design/ operating duty
185 point [35–39]. Operating other than best efficiency point reflects the significant energy loss.
186 Therefore, it is the pump’s working head that is selected so that it can work near BEP point.
187 Further, for simplicity, the selection of the centrifugal pump is made based on impeller
188 dimension (outlet angle, no of vanes, no of impeller or stages) and casing dimension and above
189 all the parameters can be specified by specific speed or shape number [38,39]. Specific speed
190 is the theoretically rational speed at which geometrically similar impeller would run if it were
191 of such a size as to produce 1 m of the head at a flow rate of 1 m3 /sec at the best efficiency
192 point.[42,43].

𝑛. 𝑄𝑜𝑝𝑡
193 𝑛𝑞 = 333.3 3 (10)
4
(𝑔. 𝐻𝑂𝑝𝑡)

194 Where 𝑄𝑜𝑝𝑡 is the flow rate in m3/sec, 𝐻𝑂𝑝𝑡 Devolved head in meters at the BEP 𝜂𝑂𝑝𝑡, 𝑛 Pump

195 speed and 𝑛𝑞 is a Dimensionless parameter.

196 This specific speed or shape number provides the solution for selecting the pump at peak power
197 and an optimal head (best efficiency point) at which pumps provide peak efficiency. This is
198 suitable for fixed frequency AC pumps (50 Hz, 60 Hz) as explained in Figure. 3.

199 However, in the case of SPVWP system flow is given by [44].

𝐴𝐺ℎ𝜂𝑃𝑉 𝜂𝑆𝑢𝑏
200 𝑄 = 𝜌𝑔𝐻
(11)

201 Where A is the PV module area and 𝐺ℎ is Irradiation per hour, 𝜂𝑃𝑉 is array efficiency

202 and 𝜂𝑆𝑢𝑏 is sub system efficiency which includes efficiency of motor and pump set. According

203 to Muhsen et al. (2018), 𝜂𝑆𝑢𝑏 depends upon the motor and pump torque and is given by Eq. 12.

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204 𝑇𝑚 = 𝐾 𝑇𝐼 (12)

205 Where 𝐾𝑇 is the motor torque constant and I is the current drawn by the motor;

2
206 𝑇 𝑃 = 𝐾 𝑃𝜔 (13)

[ ]
𝑅1 𝑏1tan 𝛽1
2
207 𝐾𝑃 = 2𝜋 𝜌𝑏1𝑅1 tan 𝛽1 𝑅2 ‒ 𝑏2tan 𝛽2
(14)

208 Where 𝐾𝑃 is pump torque constant computed on the basis of the dimensions of the shaft and

209 impeller of the pump, 𝜔 is rotational speed, 𝑅1 , 𝑅2 are the inner and outer radius of the impeller

210 and 𝛽1, 𝛽2 are the inclination angles at impeller input and output respectively.

211 It has been observed from the literature that the pumps are chosen for BEP as described
212 above for designing of the solar water pumping systems at any head, which does not hold true
213 in case of SPVWP system. Furthermore, Nicolette et al. (2007) indicated to select a variable
214 speed pump, such that maximum flow rate is near to the right-hand side of the BEP for
215 optimizing operating efficiency [43].

216 This study provides the method for the selection of the SPV pumps which will provide
217 better efficiency than above models and introduces a new concept known as Solar Operating
218 Duty Head (SODH). This concept is further discussed in Section 4 (methodology).

219 3 Experimental Setup

220 The brief description of the experimental setup is described below, where various solar water
221 pumping systems are evaluated at different operating conditions.[45]

222 The PV pumping test facility established at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE),
223 Gurugram which is India’s solar project testing wing of Ministry of New and Renewable
224 Energy (MNRE), Government of India, comprises of a sump well (10 m x 2.5 m x 2.5 m) and
225 overhead platform of (3.5 m x 2 m x 2 m) which can make suction head up to 7-10 m and a
226 total static head up to 200 m including the friction head as shown in Figure 4. The details of
227 the measuring equipment are given in the following Table 1.

228

229 Table 1: Specification of the measuring equipment used at the testbed

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Instrument Make Accuracy Significance

Data Logger Campbell, Voltage ± (0.06% of To log the data at every 15 sec
CR-1000. reading + offset) at 0° interval
to 40°C
Pyranometer EKO, MS 802 ± 10 W/m2 To measure the solar irradiance
Temperature Sensor RTD-type ±(0.30 + 0.005* t) To measure the module back
thermocouples surface temperature
Solar array simulator Ametek-TerraSAS Volage ±0.2% Current used for solar photovoltaic
±0.5%
(ETS600X), capacity emulator which generates an
15 KVA output voltage and current using
programmed irradiance and
temperature profile
A power analyzer Zimmer (LMG-450). Voltage ± 0.05 % power measurements
Current ± 0.05 %
Active power ± 0.07 %
Electro Magnetic KROHNE (Forbes ±0.5% of the measured Measuring the flow of the Water
Flowmeter Marshall) IFC 050 value
Delivery Pressure Omicron (P8700) ±0.25% Measuring the delivery head for
Transmitter Pumps during operation
Suction Pressure Omicron (C3200) ±0.25% Measuring the suction head for
Transmitter surface pumps during operation
Motorized automatic make Honeywell Leakage rate ≤0.01% Simulating the total dynamic
control Valve (Actuator: CN of kVS head
SERIES, Valve:
VBA 216)
Ultrasonic type water GSV ULI 200 0.25% of Full Scale Measuring the Water level in the
level sensor sump well
230

231 The SPV array simulator provides the means of comparing the performance by
232 simulating the same SPV characteristics repeatedly during the experiment. The simulated
233 characteristics can be any combination of solar irradiation and cell temperature as desired by
234 the users. The TerraSAS software also records the data of PV power, voltage, current, time-
235 stamping and percentage MPPT efficiency of equipment connected to the output of this
236 simulator. Continuous monitoring of the flow of water and Total dynamic head (TDH) is
237 maintained through flow meters, pressure gauges, and automatic operation of the valve. The
238 same radiation profile corresponding to daytime is maintained using the array simulator to

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239 benchmark the results of the experiment. All the experimental results are recorded using the
240 SCADA software.

241 4 Methodology

242 For any SPVWP system, it is hard to operate at the best efficiency point as the available power
243 from the SPV array varies throughout the day according to the irradiance and temperature. As
244 irradiance and temperature profile changes with time and location, therefore it is not possible
245 always feed the peak power to the pump, and for this reason, the above selection based on the
246 best efficiency point of the curve does not work.

247

248 Figure 5(a) depicts the variation of power and efficiency with the time of a day for a particular
249 pump having the operating duty point/ BEP at 57- meter. It can be seen that the solar pump
250 mostly works below the best efficiency point and it touches the peak efficiency for a short
251 duration in the noon time. In Figure 5 (b), the efficiency contours are plotted against head and
252 power. This efficiency contour also incorporates losses due to pump controller and motor, as
253 the input power is measured before the pump controller. The interior dark red color is peak
254 efficiency operating region of the pump. Further, the solar pump starts working from a lower
255 power region to peak power region from morning to mid-day and reverses its path for noon to
256 evening. Hence, from Figure 5 (b), it is clear that at 57-meter head, the pump operates at peak
257 efficiency only when the array output is greater than 3750 Watts which may occur for shorter
258 duration only in the noon time. If the pump operates at 47- meter head, operating time at the
259 peak efficiency can be maximized. Thus, in order to get the best efficient pump in case of
260 SPVWP system, the head needs to be selected in such a way that pumps always work in the
261 peak efficiency region (dark red zone) during most of the day. The selection of SPVWP system
262 through the single best efficiency point which is done conventionally (as explained in Figure 3
263 in Section 2.6. ) does not work here.

264 The proposed model for the best pump selection pictorially explained in Figure 6, where
265 the daily weighted system efficiency, at a particular head, is obtained by multiplying the
266 weighted energy yield % of the site by wire to water efficiency of the pump for a particular
267 head (c = a × b). Here in Figure 6 (a) the distribution of weighted energy yield % of the site for
268 a day is plotted as a function of power from the array. In this multiplication, the weighted
269 energy yield % can be taken suitable to time interval such as for a day, a month, a season and
270 a year or a specific representative period as may be suitable for a crop. With this method, the

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271 weighted SPVWP system efficiency is calculated for each head of the pump. Accordingly, the
272 head corresponding to the peak weighted SPVWP system efficiency is identified as SODH.
273 Finally, SPVWP system weighted efficiency on the specific head is represented by following
274 Eq.15.

275 𝜂𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 = 𝜅𝑖. 1 𝜂𝑖1 + 𝜅𝑖. 2 𝜂𝑖2 + 𝜅𝑖. 3 𝜂𝑖3 + ……….. + 𝜅𝑖. 𝑛 𝜂𝑖𝑛 (15)

𝑃𝑖 𝑡𝑖
276 Where 𝜅𝑛 = ∑𝑃𝑖 𝑡𝑖
,

277 𝑃 is the Array output power and 𝑡 is Time duration.

278
279 Thus, the conventional method of configuring motor-pump, SPV and controller for SPVWP
280 based on BEP specification of motor-pump misleads the actual energy efficiency over a day
281 and differ from physical results. Further, there is a substantial loss of efficiency and throughput
282 by following BEP based design. Proposed weighted efficiency concept not only consider all
283 subsystems together and optimize performance but also it gives the opportunity to follow the
284 instantaneous operation of SPVWP closely.
285
286 5 Results and discussion:
287 The SPVWP system performance depends upon site-specific and system dependent
288 parameters. While the site-specific parameters are solar irradiance, ambient temperature
289 and head of the water, the system dependent parameters include SPV Module technology,
290 SPV tracking structure type, SPV pump controller overall system conversion efficiency
291 (MPPT eff + System conversion efficiency) and Motor + pump efficiency. Based on these
292 parameters, this study aims to optimize the selection of the SPVWP system for the best
293 energy efficiency.
294 To explain the proof of the concept in different climatic zones of India, the classification of the
295 five climatic zones are taken after Bansal et al. [48]. The details are given in Table 2.
296 Table 2. Climatic zones of India [48].
Climate Mean monthly temperature (◦C) Relative Humidity (%)
Hot and Dry (Balotra) >30 <55
Warm and humid >30 >55
(Chennai)
Moderate (Mysore) 25-30 <75
Cold and Sunny (Leh) <25 <55
Composite (Gurugram) This applies when six months or more do not fall within any of the above
categories

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297
298 For these sites, Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), Direct normal irradiance(DNI), ambient
299 temperature and, wind speed are taken from weather radiation resource database of National
300 Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy(MNRE). The
301 per minute averaged data for period one year is utilized for the study. Further, the resource data
302 is translated on the SPV module plane of the SPV array with the five times seasonal tracking
303 and daily vertical axis tracking by using Perez modal. The tilt angles on different site for the
304 seasonal tracking are as per Table 3.
305 Table 3 Tilt angle at different sites for Seasonal tracking
Sr. No. Julian day Tilt angle (Site at latitude > 150) Tilt angle (site at latitude < 150)
1. 1-64 Latitude + 15 Latitude + 10
2. 64-108 Latitude + 0 Latitude + 0
3. 108-236 Latitude -15 Latitude -10
4. 236-280 Latitude – 0 Latitude - 0
5. 280-365 Latitude + 15 Latitude + 10
306

307 From the above data, the radiation energy yield % variation with respect to irradiance range is
308 plotted for the representative sites of five climatic zone as shown in Figure 8 (a).

309
310 The corresponding energy yield % for a 4800 Wp SPV module array fed to 5 HP motor &
311 pump are taken for the modeling study. The array output energy yield % are plotted for five
312 different climatic zones in Figure 8 (b). These energy yield variations over a range of irradiance
313 and temperature affect the weighted efficiency of the power converter as well as other design
314 parameters of the SPVWP systems. An SPVWP system with 150 mm bore well submersible
315 (centrifugal pump) with six stages pump is taken for the study. The detailed contour curve for
316 the system is shown in Figure 5 (b). As per the pump selection criteria recommended by
317 manufacturers for fixed frequency pumps, the best efficiency point (BEP) for this pump is 57
318 meters through conventional selection method [46]. However, the weighted efficiency data
319 calculated at the different heads and under different climatic zones as per the proposed new
320 model are listed in Table 4.

321 Table 4 SPVWP system Weighted Efficiency at the different head in different climatic zones for six stages
322 pump (182_ 6).

Head in meters
Sr. Efficiency (%)
No. Climatic Zones
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 57 60 65 BEP SODH
1 Hot & humid (Chennai) 29.3 33.5 36.5 38.7 40.2 40.9 40.7 39.7 39.3 38.5 35.9 57 45

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2 Composite (Gurgaon) 30.8 35.3 38.5 40.9 42.4 43.0 42.6 41.3 40.7 39.7 36.4 57 45
3 Hot & Dry (Balotra) 27.9 32.6 36.3 39.2 41.3 42.7 43.0 42.4 42.1 41.6 39.3 57 50
4 Hot & Sunny (Leh) 21.6 21.5 23.8 25.8 27.3 28.4 28.9 28.7 28.5 28.3 27.1 57 50
5 Moderate (Mysore) 29.2 33.0 35.8 37.9 39.5 40.2 40.1 39.1 38.6 37.9 35.2 57 45

6 Composite cold day 31.3 36.3 40.3 43.4 45.6 46.6 46.5 45.1 44.4 43.4 39.3 57 45
7 Composite hot day 33.5 38.3 41.8 43.9 45.1 45.0 43.4 40.8 39.5 37.5 32.0 57 40
323

324 Further to the above discussions, the data in Table 4 plotted in Figure 9 clearly explains the
325 definite advantage of the proposed model. Table 4 lists the efficiency data of a typical 6 stage
326 pump 182_6 under five different climatic zones and two different typical weather profiles for
327 a cold and hot day which is generally used for performance testing and pump qualification by
328 a testing lab in the country[47]. The SPVWP system weighted efficiency varies with climatic
329 zones conditions and head. Further, the head at which peak weighted efficiency is obtained is
330 defined as SODH. It is clear from the graph that the efficiency at BEP is lower than SODH for
331 any climatic zone. However, the BEP data is suitable only in the cold and sunny climatic zones
332 of the country. In the cold and sunny climatic zones, the weighted efficiencies are very low due
333 to high irradiance. The low temperature and proposed array wattage of 4800 Wp is much higher
334 for 5 HP pump as the power output of the array may be substantially higher towing to which
335 the pump trips or operates at very low MPPT point. To improve the situation in the cold and
336 sunny climatic conditions, the PV array sizing should be reduced considerably.

337 Further to the above study, to prove the importance of the proposed model, an attempt
338 has been made to identify the best efficient pump for a 50-meter head in composite climate
339 zone during the hot day. For this three different pumps of 6, 8 and 10 stage as shown in Figure
340 7 are coupled with the same motor of 3.7 kW/5 HP and tested for five HP power irrespective
341 of the manufacturer specified data. The BEP heads for these three 6, 8 and 10 stage pumps are
342 57, 76 and 95 meters [46]. The efficiency contour maps of the three pumps are shown in Figures
343 5(b) and 10 (a) & (b) for pumps with 6, 8 & 10 stage respectively. The PVWP system’s
344 weighted efficiency, and SODH are estimated by changing the number of impellers and the
345 data is listed in Table 5.

346

347 Table 5 SPVWP system Weighted efficiency on Solar operating duty point with changing no of impellers

Total
Pump capacity Unutiliz output
Pump by Weighted ed Weighted ( ltrs )
Sr. Nomen manufacturer eff @ 50 energy BEP SODH eff @ Threshol @ 50
No. clature (kW) Mtr (%) (Mtr) (Mtr) SODH d (Watt) Mtr
1 182_6 3.7 kW/5HP 43.3 12.9 57 45 45.1 1750 91790
2 182_8 4.5 kW/6 HP 46 6.7 76 45 48.7 1250 99192
182_1
3 0 5.5 kW/7.5HP 45.5 9.2 95 50 45.5 1500 97522

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348

349 The SODH are found at 45,45, and 50 Meters with 44.9, 48.7 and 45.5 % Weighted efficiency
350 for pumps with 6, 8 and 10 numbers of impellers respectively.

351

352

353 From the above analysis, it is evident that the best pump for 50-meter operation is 8 stage pump
354 which has 46 % weighted efficiency. This weighted efficiency is 2.6 % higher than the 6-stage
355 pump which is originally advised for 50-meter operation in the 5 HP category. Further, the
356 proposed concept is verified through experimental data where the 8-stage pump delivered 7402
357 (8.6 %) liters more water as compared to 6-stage pump on a hot day in the composite climate,
358 power vs. efficiency is shown in Figure 11. The threshold wattage for SPVWP system also goes
359 down by 500 Watts in order the energy utilization from the array has also increased.

360 6 Conclusion

361 This study finds that the conventional method of designing SPVWP system based on individual
362 component efficiency using the concept of BEP is not a correct method to achieve optimum
363 energy efficiency. Both simulation analysis and experimental results reveal that due to
364 variations in operating parameters such as radiation, temperature, water head and speed of
365 pump, the overall system efficiency diverges. Therefore, the present study guides the selection
366 of a proper pump based on the new concept SODH. Using SODH concept, it is proven through
367 simulation and experimentally that this method is superior compared to the conventional BEP.
368 About 9 % gain in water output is observed through this selection method. Further work by
369 using this concept for improving the efficiency in varying water table zone is in progress.

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Weather Data in different season averaged at Experimental data collection on different

per Minute pumps types and model

Selection of proper input

Global Direct Head, Flow, Impeller size
Ambient voltage and capacity for
Horizontal Normal Wind speed Power and stages
temperature Pump controller and Motor
Irradiance Irradiance

Characterization of different
Pump with single motor
Translation of Irradiance on
Estimation of Module
module plane with seasonal and
temperature with
daily tracking With appropriate
appropriate model Power Vs Efficiency plot at
model
different head

Weighted
Site specific
Array Power output by using appropriate Efficiency
Weighted Energy
model calculation
yield factor
on each
head

Estimation of Solar operating

Verification by actual
duty head in different climatic
test
zones in India

Most Efficient Solar Pump for particular location and selected head

Figure 1 Methodology for the selection of the most efficient pump at any particular location and selected head

Figure 2 SPVWP converter efficiency variation due (a) input DC voltage (b) Efficiency variation due to
variation of the pumps dimensional characteristics.

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Figure 3 Plot of the head against flow rate at a constant speed and design or duty point of the pump.

Figure 4 Solar water pumping testing facility at NISE (MNRE’s solar project testing wing)

Figure 5 (a) Power Vs. efficiency plot (b) efficiency contour of a 6-stage pump with respect to power and head

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Figure 6 (a) weighted energy yield % of the site, (b) wire to water efficiency of the pump for the 50-meter head,
(C) SPVWP system Weighted efficiency on the specific head and typical daily profile

Figure 7 Single variable frequency pump controller and AC motor experimented by coupling on three different
pumps with 6, 8 and 10 Nos. impellers.

Figure 8 (a) Radiation Energy yield % with respect to irradiance, (b) Output Energy yield % for 4800 Wp array
in five climatic zone

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Figure 9 Weighted efficiency of 6 stage pump in different climatic zones

Figure 10 Efficiency contour of (a) 8-stage and, (b) 10-stage pump with respect to power and head

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Figure 11 Efficiency curves for different pumps

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1. In this paper, the energy efficiency of Solar Photovoltaics Water pumping (SPVWP)
system is investigated in depth at various radiation, temperature and working heads of
the pump to identify the shortcoming in the conventional method of design SPVWP
system.
2. Analysis and experimental verification prove that the Best Efficiency Point (BEP)
concept for the selection of motor-pump set based conventional method of designing
SPVWP misleads on the overall energy efficiency (water to radiation), leading to
losses.
3. BEP method of selection of motor-pump set is applicable only in case of fixed
frequency and voltage type grid supply.
4. Study guides the selection of a proper pump based on the new concept Solar
Operational Duty Head (SODH), and using SODH concept it is proven through
simulation and experimentally that this method is superior compared to the
conventional BEP. About 9 % gain in water output is observed through this selection
method.