Comprehensive Design Tool for Sizing Solar Water Pumping System in Egypt

Abstract

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/m2/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 m3/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 m3/day. The model is a needed tool for all concerned in the field of PV solar water pumping including costumers.