Solar powered pumps to supply water for rural or isolated zones: A case study

This work aims at studying the possible application of solar energy to deep well water pumps for water supply in rural or isolated zones. Developing countries are composed of numerous small villages and farmers, making it economically unviable to extend the electrical national grid to every location where it is needed. Also the difficulty in collecting dues makes this solution even less viable. These countries still struggle with the lack of water in many villages and farms. These factors, along with the increase in the price of conventional energy sources and concerns regarding sustainable growth, have led to the development of solar powered water pumps. Most African, South Asian and Latin-American countries have good sun exposure almost all year and many of its villages still have lack of water. For this study we considered a small village composed of 10 families with a daily consumption of 100 l each, a well with a depth of 100 m, a reservoir 10 m above ground level, an autonomy of 6 days and a permitted loss of load of 2%. In this work a PV advanced model was used. For the conditions mentioned, a water cost of 1.07 €/m3 and an investment cost of 3019 € were obtained. A pump power of 154 W and a solar array of 195 Watt peak (Wp) are necessary. The water cost obtained is believed to be a competitive value proving these types of solutions as good alternatives to extending the electric grid or having a diesel generator connected to the pump.