Peak Sunshine Hours Research Articles

Study on photovoltaic power forecasting model based on peak sunshine hours and sunshine duration

AbstractAccurate prediction of photovoltaic power generation is a critical technical problem for utilizing solar energy. Aiming at the problem that the model parameters are difficult to obtain in applying photovoltaic power prediction methods, this paper has used long‐term monitoring data of output power, various meteorological data, and solar irradiation intensity of photovoltaic modules. This paper establishes the functional relationship between the output power of photovoltaic modules and the irradiation intensity through Pearson correlation analysis. By deducing the distribution relationship of irradiation intensity, the prediction model of irradiation intensity based on peak sunshine hours and sunshine duration is constructed and based on 340 sites across the country 64 years peak sunshine hours and sunshine duration query database. In this work, the theoretical value of the prediction model on sunny days is close to the measured value (R2 = 0.918–0.985). The solar radiation intensity on rainy days is weak, and the prediction accuracy is low (R2 = 0.838–0.930). The relative errors between the sunshine duration and the peak sunshine hours in the database are less than 4.55% and 4.79%, respectively, under sunny conditions in each quarter, indicating that the accuracy of the database meets the actual needs.

An experimental case study of solar food dryer with thermal storage using phase change material

With ever expanding population and accelerating energy challenges, the ultimate need to adopt green-energy solutions for the preservation and storage techniques for fruits and vegetables has become vital. Sun drying is an age-old method to preserve food and it has revived the popularity within the industrial sector to overcome the high energy consuming operations. This work presents the experimental investigations of a solar dryer with integrated thermal storage chamber. The thermal storage chamber employed paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM). Incorporating PCM enhances the efficiency and efficacy of the solar dryer. PCM absorbs heat, causing it to melt during peak sunshine hours. Then, during periods of reduced sunlight, the PCM releases the stored heat, enabling continuous product drying. Particularly, the solar dryer successfully dried onions, apricots, and peas, with moisture removal percentages of 69.6 %, 65 %, and 75 % respectively from the total mass.

Efficacy assessment of green-blue nature-based solutions against environmental heat mitigation

Nature-based solutions (NBS) such as green (vegetation) and blue (waterbodies) infrastructure are being promoted as cost-effective and sustainable strategies for managing the heatwaves risks, but long-term monitoring evidence is needed to support their implementation. This work aims to conduct a comparative assessment of the cooling efficiency of green (woodland and grassland) and blue (waterbody) NBS in contrast to a built-up area. Over a year of continuous fixed monitoring showed that the average daily maximum temperatures at NBS locations were 2–3 °C (up-to 15%) lower than the built-up area. Woodland showed the maximum temperature reduction in almost all seasons, followed by waterbody and grassland. NBS performed the best during the summers, peak sunshine, and heatwave hours (up to ∼ 6 °C cooler than built-up area). Using an e-bike for mobile monitoring, the areas where green–blue NBS were combined showed the highest spatial cooling extent, followed by waterbody, woodland, and grassland areas. The database generated can validate city-scale environmental models and assist city planners to incorporate NBS into urban dwellings based on the opportunity, need and scope, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 13 (climate action).

Experimental and numerical investigations on the influence of phase change materials on heat transfer reduction across the roof of a building

ABSTRACT Faced with the problems of increasing energy scarcity and ongoing environmental deterioration, phase change materials (PCM) have attracted a lot of attention recently for improving building energy performance. Utilizing the PCMs in buildings is one of the efficient approaches to reduce the heat penetration into the buildings. In this work, the thermal performance of a building equipped with PCM roof is analyzed and compared with a plain roof building. The uniqueness of this study is to analyze the effect of PCM experimentally and numerically through parametric investigation with different PCMs (HS29 and OM29), encapsulation materials (aluminum and steel) and PCM thickness. The experimental analysis shows that the PCM incorporated roof decreased the inner room temperature of the building by 2°C vis-à-vis plain roof and hence helps reduce the cooling load and enables passive cooling of the building with energy savings. A numerical analysis was carried out using COMSOL and validated with maximum and average errors of 7.43% and 4.87% respectively. The parametric investigation from the validated model indicates that the PCM OM29 is effective compared to HS29 in terms of temperature reduction. The steel encapsulating panels are observed to be better than aluminum at the peak sunshine hours while the aluminum panel is effective for the other periods. It is observed that the increase in PCM thickness augments the reduction in heat transfer while the 6 cm PCM thickness showed a higher temperature reduction by 3.6°C vis-a-vis 2 cm PCM thickness.

Machine learning of redundant energy of a solar PV Mini-grid system for cooking applications

Solar PV mini-grids are increasingly being deployed in off-grid and island communities especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries to meet household energy demand. However, one challenge of solar PV mini-grids for community energy supply is the mismatch between the PV energy generation and household energy demand. PV mini-grid energy generation is highest in the afternoon whilst household energy demand is highest in the mornings and evenings, but lowest in the afternoons. This mismatch creates redundant energy generation during peak sunshine hours when battery energy storage is full, leading to low profitability for mini-grid systems. In this study, four machine learning models have been applied on an installed 30.6 kW mini-grid system in Ghana to ascertain the level of the redundant energy. The study has revealed that redundant energy exists on the mini-grid, in the range of 56.98 – 119.86 kWh/day. Further analysis has shown that the redundant energy can support household cooking energy demand through sustainable thermal batteries. With the four machine learning (ML) models applied in predicting the redundant energy, the most accurate ML model, K-nearest Neighbour Regressor, had a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.148 and a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.998.

On‐grid solar powered milk processing: Development and cost analysis

This study investigates the development of solar powered milk processor and processing cost analysis of solar processed milk using On-grid solar PV system. A set of 10 series connected On-grid solar panels of 3 kW capacity was mounted on roof top to easily meet the requirement for processing 40 L of milk in batch mode. Commercially available milk boilers of capacity 10 to 40 L are embedded with electrical heater coils of capacity 1 kW to 3 kW. As the proposed work is to design and optimize the solar panel for processing 40 L of milk in batch processor, 10 series connected On-grid solar panels, each of capacity 325 W, were mounted on the roof top with daily power generation capability of 3 kW. The efficiency of roof top mounted On-grid solar panels is 80% which means solar panel rated for 1 kW gives an output of approximately 800 W (0.8 kW). The energy generated in kWH is the product of power (kW) and time (h). The available peak sunshine h (PSH) from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. (5 h) was utilized to generate 4 kWh of energy (0.8 kW × 5 h)/day for 1 kW capacity of solar panel. As 10 On-grid solar panels (3 kW) were installed, 12 to 15 kWh of electrical energy was generated per day based on the available peak sunshine hours and was recorded by means of digital energy meter. The milk processing cost analysis were carried out based on the trials conducted on the developed solar powered milk processor at College of Food and Dairy Technology, Koduveli, Chennai. It was found that the total processing cost/L ranged from Rs. 0.6 to 0.35 for various treatments without regenerative action and Rs. 0.58 to 0.16 for various treatments with regenerative action. Novelty impact statement Increased reliability and raw milk processing cost optimization are achieved with Solar solutions. The On-grid inverter provides a baseline electricity demand at village level for dairy farmers for productive/processing purposes. The developed solar powered milk processor ensures captive generation in dairy plants which provides a localized source of power to MSME/Small scale industries, as processing cost is lower.

Farmers’ Perceptions about Irrigation Roles in Climate Change Adaptation and Determinants of the Choices to WUE-Improving Practices in Southern Ethiopia

Irrigation enhances resilience to the negative impacts of climate change through sustainable food production and environmental health. However, water is a scarce resource that needs efficient utilization. This study explored (1) farmers’ perceptions about the roles of irrigation in climate change adaptation and (2) determinants of the choices to selected WUE-improving soil and water management practices in southern Ethiopia. A multistage sampling technique was used to survey 373 households. The results indicated that the majority of surveyed households were male-headed: 90.6%, above 40 years old: 56.8%, and uneducated: 73.5%. They perceived that irrigation improved their net income (INCOM): 88%, acted as insurance against decreased rainfall (IADR): 44.8%, and insurance against increased temperature (IAIT): 70%; though the water was not available in all dry seasons: 55%. The choice to tightly close water-diversion points after use is significantly positively ( p < .05) affected by education level (EDUC) and perceptions about irrigation water as IADR and IAIT. However, the farmers’ perceptions about INCOM significantly negatively affected their choice to not irrigate at peak sunshine hours. The choice of mulching is significantly positively affected by the perception of INCOM and IAIT. Similarly, the choice of using compost is significantly positively affected by EDUC and their perceptions of IADR and IAIT, and significantly negatively affected by INCOM. The choice of not practicing conventional tillage is strongly negatively affected by the farmers’ perceptions about equitable water distribution (EWD) and INCOM. Therefore, it can be concluded that the farmers’ understanding of the roles of irrigation in climate change adaptation is good but their understanding of WUE-improving practices is poor due to poor water distribution systems and low education levels. So, improving water distribution systems and farmers’ awareness about WUE-improving practices are suggested to the study area and other countries under related conditions.

Risk factors for heat-related illnesses during the Hajj mass gathering: an expert review.

Human exposure to a hot environment may result in various heat-related illnesses (HRIs), which range in severity from mild and moderate forms to life-threatening heatstroke. The Hajj is one of the largest annual mass gatherings globally and has historically been associated with HRIs. Hajj attracts over two million Muslim pilgrims from more than 180 countries to the holy city of Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Several modifiable and non-modifiable factors render Hajj pilgrims at increased risk of developing HRIs during Hajj. These include characteristics of the Hajj, its location, population, and rituals, as well as pilgrims' knowledge of HRIs and their attitude and behavior. Makkah is characterized by a hot desert climate and fluctuating levels of relative humidity. Pilgrims are very diverse ethnically and geographically, with different adaptations to heat. Significant proportions of the Hajj population are elderly, obese, and with low levels of fitness. In addition, many have underlying health conditions and are on multiple medications that can interfere with thermoregulation. Other factors are inherent in the Hajj and its activities, including crowding, physically demanding outdoor rituals, and a high frequency of infection and febrile illness. Pilgrims generally lack awareness of HRIs, and their uptake of preventive measures is variable. In addition, many engage in hazardous behaviors that increase their risk of HRIs. These include performing rituals during the peak sunshine hours with no sun protection and with suboptimal sleep, nutrition, and hydration, while neglecting treatment for their chronic conditions. HRIs preventive plans for Hajj should incorporate measures to address the aforementioned factors to reduce the burden of these illnesses in future Hajj seasons. Lessons from the Hajj can be used to inform policy making and HRIs preventive measures in the general population worldwide.

Performance and economic analysis of a heat pump water heater assisted regenerative solar still using latent heat storage

• Maximum hourly productivity of 1.73 kg/h was observed during peak sunshine hours. • Maximum productivity of 16.1 kg/day was observed during summer months. • Maximum and minimum daily efficiencies were estimated as 0.81 and 0.78, respectively. • Heat pump coefficient of performance was estimated in the range between 2.21 and 2.55. • Cost of distillate was estimated as 0.05471 USD per liter. • Payback period was estimated as 21.46 months for 275 days of operation. • CO 2 emissions is estimated as 26.8 tons for 275 days of operation in ten-year life. In this paper, the performance and economic analysis of a heat pump water heater assisted regenerative solar still using latent heat storage was experimentally studied. The heat released during condensation of water vapour inside the solar still was regenerated using a heat pump to pre-heat the saline water before entering the basin and producing hot water for domestic use. The experimental observations have been made under the influence of solar irradiation, ambient temperature and ambient wind speed. The results showed that the heat pump water heater assisted regenerative solar still has attained cumulative productivity between 14.0 and 16.0 kg/day during 12 h of operation. Moreover, the system delivers more than 100 L of hot water at 46.8–52.8 °C for domestic use. The monthly average coefficient of performance of the heat pump was estimated in the range between 2.21 and 2.55. The cost per litre of distillate obtained from the system is estimated as 0.05471 USD. The payback period was estimated as 21.46 months for 275 days of operation in a year at 12% interest and distillate selling price of 0.08 USD/litre. The water samples obtained from the experiments are suitable for drinking and met the Bureau of Indian Standard requirements.

Exergy analysis of forced convection solar flat plate collector using different working fluids

Solar energy is a widely available energy resource which can be effectively utilized without any effect on the environment. The solar Flat Plate Collector (FPC) is most commonly used collector in many solar thermal applications, but the energy absorption from the solar irradiation and transporting heat to the working fluid is less efficient. The efficiency of the collector can be enhanced by varying different parameters like reducing the air gap between the absorber plate and the glass cover of the collector, optimizing the dimensions of collector components and using high thermal stability working fluids. In these present work experimentalinvestigationand exergy analysis carried out on two selected working fluids water and coolant, are compared. The maximum outlet temperature for coolant and water as working fluid is recorded as 63°C and 59°C during higher solar intensity. The exergy efficiency of water and coolant is obtained as 6.7% and 7% respectively during peak sunshine hours.

Off‐board electric vehicle battery charger using PV array

During the recent decade, the automobile industry is booming with the evolution of electric vehicle (EV). Battery charging system plays a major role in the development of EVs. Charging of EV battery from the grid increases its load demand. This leads to propose a photovoltaic (PV) array-based off-board EV battery charging system in this study. Irrespective of solar irradiations, the EV battery is to be charged constantly which is achieved by employing a backup battery bank in addition to the PV array. Using the sepic converter and three-phase bidirectional DC–DC converter, the proposed system is capable of charging the EV battery during both sunshine hours and non-sunshine hours. During peak sunshine hours, the backup battery gets charged along with the EV battery and during non-sunshine hours, the backup battery supports the charging of EV battery. The proposed charging system is simulated using Simulink in the MATLAB software and an experimental prototype is fabricated and tested in the laboratory and the results are furnished in this study.

The Influence of Internal Heat Storage Material and Longitudinal Fins on a Double-Pass Solar Air Heater Performance

Abstract This study presents the overall performance of a double-pass solar air heater (DPSAH) with three different configurations: (i) double-pass solar air heater without fins and heat storage (DPSAHWF), (ii) double-pass solar air heater with longitudinal fins and without heat storage (DPSAHLF), and (iii) double-pass solar air heater with longitudinal fins and heat storage (DPSAHLFHM). Five longitudinal fins on the upper channel and granular carbon at the bottom of lower channel as heat storage material were used for the analysis. Each configuration was examined for the following flowrates of air (ṁ1 = 0.008 kg/s, ṁ2 = 0.012 kg/s, and ṁ3 = 0.016 kg/s). The results show an improvement in thermal efficiency with an increase in the air flowrate. The outlet air temperature increases considerably with a decrease in flowrate, for all the three orientations. The lowest and the highest efficiencies during the peak sunshine hours were recorded as 33% and 65% for the conventional heater and the heater with fins and heat storage material, respectively. A maximum of 849 W/m2 of solar intensity was recorded during the test period. The system is also examined for thermal discharge after the sunshine hours to determine the effectiveness of the heat storage material.

Design and performance evaluation of solar - LPG hybrid dryer for drying of shrimps

The study was aimed at design and development of an energy efficient solar dryer suitable for continuous drying operation. In this dryer, water was used as a thermal energy storage and heat transfer medium, and air as an intermediate fluid. The major parts of the dryer were flat-plate solar water collector, water storage tank, drying chamber, heat exchanger, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) water heater. The dryer was designed to work mostly on solar energy during peak sunshine hours and LPG water heater as auxiliary heat source during low sunshine hours. The performance of the developed solar-LPG hybrid dryer was evaluated using shrimps (Metapenaeus dobsoni). The moisture content of fresh shrimp was reduced from 76.71% (w.b) to 15.38% (w.b) within 6 h of drying. The drying rate curve showed that shrimp drying occurred under falling-rate drying period. Results revealed that the water was capable of capturing maximum heat energy during peak sunshine hours. The maximum collector outlet temperature of 73.5 °C was obtained during drying. Overall, solar system supplied 73.93% of heat energy and LPG water heater assisted rest of the energy requirement due to lower incident solar radiation during start and end of drying. The maximum collector and drying efficiency obtained for shrimp drying were 42.37% and 37.09%, respectively.

Thermal analysis of an inclined heat sink with finned PCM container for solar applications

This paper explores the dynamic thermal performance of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) melting in an inclined finned rectangular container with the top heating mode. Internal external fins are provided to the back surface of the PCM tank considering its applications in the large duty cycle photovoltaic thermal management systems, top heating mode heat sinks and so on. Internal-external fins attached to the back surface of PCM container are proposed for: (a) to lengthen the melting time of PCMs during charging period specifically for peak sunshine hours in the solar applications (b) to enhance PCMs solidification during the discharging period and (c) to improve the heat transfer from the molten PCM to outside after complete melting; so as to reduce heat trapped. RT 42 is used as a PCM in the present study. Unsteady numerical investigations are performed with changing PCM thicknesses, inclination angles and number of extended surfaces. The PCM layer thicknesses are varied with 20 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm for the inclination angles of 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°. PCM container configurations with 2 fins, 3 fins and 4 fins are investigated. The effect of natural convection current is also included in the present numerical simulation using Boussinesq approximations. Control volume approach is used for the estimation of melting time, temperature distribution, velocity magnitude and Nusselt number enhancement. The result shows that the melting time for all the PCM systems increases with decreases in inclination angles and addition of a number of extended surfaces. The average PCM temperature and average velocity magnitude of the PCM decreases with decreasing inclination angle. Incorporation of additional fins than three does not add any significant enhancements in the melting time, although it drastically improves the PCM heat transfer performance. During the completion phase of melting process; using extended surfaces, Nusselt number is increased by 6–9 times for 30° inclined systems and 2–3 time with other inclination angles.

Experimental evaluation of the performance of latent heat storage unit integrated with solar air heater

The solar air heater (SoAH) absorbs the solar radiation and convert it into thermal energy. The drawback of solar radiation is its uneven distribution in time and it is the main roadblock for further expansion of solar energy. The technical feasibility of SoAH with thermal energy storage in the phase change material (PCM) is demonstrated in the present paper. This integrated SoAH was operated for 11 h from 10:30 to 21:30 h in April 2018 under the meteorological conditions of Gandhinagar (23.16°N, 77.67°E). The performance of SoAH with PCM is evaluated using energy and exergy analysis. The maximum energy efficiency and exergy efficiency of SoAH were found to be 62% and 9.5% respectively during the peak sunshine hours of the day. The percentage of energy recovered from the thermal storage was found to be 25.8%. The exergy efficiency of the storage system was found to be 13%.

TECHNO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GRID-CONNECTED ROOFTOP SOLAR PV SYSTEM FOR SCHOOLS IN PALESTINE: A CASE STUDY OF THREE SCHOOLS.

The application of the On-grid PV power systems is currently experiencing significant increase and expanding vastly as an alternative source of energy provider for different buildings in Palestine. In the Palestinian territories most of the electricity is provided by the neighboring countries which imposes burden on the Palestinian economy due the insecurity of the electricity supply and fluctuation in its tariff especially in the last years. Palestine is very rich in the solar resources with an annual average of 5.4 peak sun shine hours and has a great potential for PV powered projects, this paper presents a 12-month-long performance evaluation of the 7.68 kWp grid-connected PV systems on the rooftop of each of the three schools in Palestine: Al-Razi Boys School, Almueh Boys School & Khawleh Bent Al Azwar Girls. The performance of implemented PV systems show that the average performance ratio was 78 %, the average annual energy produces by each system equal 10.930 MWh/year. The results of economic analyses are encouraging to intensify the use of such PV school systems since the payback period of such a system is less than 5 years, the cost of kWh produced is around 0.1 US $, the internal rate of return around 20%. Besides these results, this paper presents also the impacts of PV school systems on the electric grid represented in decreasing the losses, and raising the voltage level, and the effect of PV systems on the environment.

Grid tied PV- Electric Vehicle Battery Charger using Bidirectional Converter

Research on renewable energy based Electric Vehicle battery charging system is booming in the automobile industry in the recent years. The intermittent nature of the renewable energy sources leads to the grid connected renewable energy systems for Electric vehicle battery charging applications. Hence, an Electric Vehicle battery charger using grid connected PV system is proposed in this paper. The proposed charger is capable of charging the EV battery continuously irrespective of solar irradiations using dc-dc converter and bidirectional ac-dc converter. Sepic converter is preferred for dc-dc converter and Line commutated converter is used as a bidirectional converter with the help of the proposed bidirectional configurator in the charging system. During sunshine hours, PV array power generated is used to charge the EV battery alone and during peak sunshine hours, apart from charging of EV battery, the excess PV array power is fed to the single phase utility grid. During low and non sunshine hours, the EV battery charging was supported by the utility grid through bidirectional ac-dc converter. The proposed electric vehicle battery charger is simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink software and the dynamic response of the system was studied and its results are furnished in this paper.

Modeling and Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Assisted Electrolyzer-Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell For Running a Hospital in Remote Area in Kolkata, India

The present work consists of the modeling and analysis of solar photovoltaic panels integrated with electrolyzer bank and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stacks for running different appliances of a hospital located in Kolkata for different climatic conditions. Electric power is generated by an array of solar photovoltaic modules. Excess energy after meeting the requirements of the hospital during peak sunshine hours is supplied to an electrolyzer bank to generate hydrogen gas, which is consumed by the PEM fuel cell stack to support the power requirement during the energy deficit hours. The study reveals that 875 solar photovoltaic modules in parallel each having 2 modules in series of Central Electronics Limited Make PM 150 with a 178.537 kW electrolyzer and 27 PEM fuel cell stacks, each of 382.372 W, can support the energy requirement of a 200 lights (100 W each), 4 pumps (2 kW each), 120 fans(65 W each) and 5 refrigerators (2 kW each)system operated for 16 hours, 2 hours,15 hours and 24 hours respectively. 123 solar photovoltaic modules in parallel each having 2 modules in series of Central Electronics Limited Make PM 150 is needed to run the gas compressor for storing hydrogen in the cylinder during sunshine hours. Article History: Received Feb 5th 2017; Received in revised form June 2nd 2017; Accepted June 28th 2017; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Talukdar, K. (2017). Modeling and Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Assisted Electrolyzer-Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell For Running a Hospital in Remote Area in Kolkata,India. International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 6(2), 181-191.https://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.6.2.181-191

Performance and economic analysis of a floricultural greenhouse with distributed fan-pad evaporative cooling coupled with solar desiccation

Humidity imparts an adverse effect upon a conventional fan-pad ventilated greenhouse in the tropical and subtropical countries. In the present work, a novel scheme of a desiccant assisted distributed fan-pad ventilated greenhouse system has been proposed for the cultivation of varieties of Gerbera. A thermal model of the proposed system has been developed to predict the greenhouse temperature and compare the same with a reference model study available in literature. To regenerate the desiccant materials, solar thermal energy is used which is harnessed using a number of flat plate collectors. Study reveals that, while the maximum temperature inside the conventional greenhouse without desiccation is about 28.8°C, the same can be maintained below 27°C even during the peak sunshine hours of the summer season with the proposed system for the place under consideration (plains of Indian sub-continent). During the monsoon season (June), the maximum greenhouse temperature can be restricted within 26.6°C with the present system, while during the same period the temperature of the conventional fan-pad ventilated greenhouse reaches about 28.8°C. A cumulative cash flow model has also been included in the study to examine the payback period and the Net Present value (NPV) of the proposed system. From the economic analysis, it is observed that the payback period of the system is about 6years, while the NPV is about $9090 (assuming a service life of 15years) considering the price of Gerbera to be $0.15. The system thus reinforces the viability of the proposed system both from technical and economic point of view.

Development and modification of permanent magnet brushed DC motor for hybrid photovoltaic-operated solar systems

A modified brushed permanent magnet DC (PMDC) motor has been developed and fabricated for a photovoltaic (PV)-operated solar systems. The conventional PMDC motor has been plagued with constraints, the most critical being ingestion of vapours of working fluid inside the rotor and stator, damaging the insulation of windings and forming a thin film of moisture between commutator and brushes. This flaw results into a very low mean time between failures of the motor. In the past, many attempts have been made where-in variety of seals to isolate the working fluid vapours from inner parts of motor have been tried out, but to no avail. Even Brushless DC motors have been designed in the past but their exorbitant cost makes the entire arrangement not viable economically. The modification attempted in this article overcomes the problem of working fluid ingestion inside the motor. It is found that mass flow rate of working fluid obtained at maximum peak sunshine hours is 17.5 l/min at 3030 rpm of motor driven by a PV module of 40 W at 16.20 V. This low-cost modified PMDC motor has been robust with high mean time between failures as no breakdown observed during 18 months of operation.