Performance Evaluation of PV-Powered Pump and Treat Systems Using Typical Meteorological Year Three Data

Abstract

Pump and treat (P&T) is a technology that has been extensively used to remove and/or contain contaminated groundwater. P&T systems conventionally operate continuously, which requires significant amounts of energy. The use of renewable energies to meet power demands of remedial systems may reduce a project’s carbon dioxide emissions. This paper analyzes the performance of a hypothetical photovoltaic (PV)–powered P&T system that operates both intermittently by assuming that the system does not include an energy storage component and continuously by assuming that the system includes a relatively small capacity energy storage component using widely available Typical Meteorological Year 3 (TMY3) data. The results are compared against a baseline case of continuous pumping at a constant rate using volume of groundwater removed and capture zone width. The comparison shows that the cost-benefit of increasing the capture zone widths and volume of extracted groundwater by increasing the rated flow rate is greater than by including a relatively small-capacity energy storage component. PV-powered P&T system performance, without or with limited relatively small-capacity energy storage, is conditioned to site-specific hydrologic and seasonal characteristics. The methodology presented in this paper can be used to assess and compare the performance of each alternative.