New sizing method of PV water pumping systems

The pumping for drinking water in the desert and remote areas in developing countries must be regarded as a priority and useful application. The use of photovoltaic as the power source for pumping water is one of the most promising areas in photovoltaic applications. The design of the pumping system is based upon two important elements: the PV array and the storage tank. In fact, a poor design of the PV array and/or the storage tank could affect system reliability and create a deficit of daily water demand for the population.To characterize the system design, we use a new method based on the determination of Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) during the year around a cycle of operation. It is possible that the volume of water required by the load is higher than that delivered by the pump. In these conditions, the consumption is not satisfied and there is a water deficit. We showed that the size of the storage tank has an influence on the reliability and the system sizing and must be treated with particular attention.The life cycle cost (LCC) method is used to estimate the cost of the optimal configuration.