Performance evaluation of solar photovoltaic (SPV) pumping system under field conditions

A study has been carried out to evaluate the performance of solar photovoltaic (SPV) pumping system under field conditions. Performance parameters such as array output, total head, overall efficiency and conversion efficiency have been determined. Performance characteristics curve for SPV pumping system have been developed. The value of solar insolation was observed to vary from 6.7 to 7.4 kwh/m²/day. The motor input power varied from 480 watts to 550 watts. The conversion efficiency was found to vary from 2.78% to 7.42%. The clouds significantly affected voltage, current, rpm and discharge but the temperature did not change, which reveals that temperature has no effect on development of voltage or current in the solar photovoltaic cells. The maximum operational efficiency achieved was 60% for a head range of 8.3 m to 9.7 m and discharge of 1.9 l/s to 3.0 l/s which is quite high under the field conditions.