Design, optimization and analysis of a solar water pumping system for Pakistan

This thesis covers a comprehensive study about the design, optimization and analysis of a solar water pumping system for Pakistani conditions. For the initial part of this thesis, a site was selected in Wasti Jiuan Shah, Tehsil Sadiqabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan. The site covers 239.6 acres of land on which Rhodes grass crop is grown for commercial purposes. After evaluating the overall motor load to fulfill the required flow rate of 204m³/hr, a feasible solution for a solar water pumping system with a battery bank was designed in HOMER software. For the designed solar water pumping system solution, detailed cost analysis and evaluation of ratings of design components for the overall designed system were also obtained using HOMER software. For the next stage of the thesis, a detailed dynamic analysis was performed in MATLAB/Simulink for the designed system with a battery bank for the duration of the first seven days of operation in April, with custom-made blocks for each solar water pumping system component. In the third stage of the thesis, a solar water pumping system with a water tank was designed for the same selected site earlier. Detailed cost comparison for a solar water pumping system with a battery bank and a solar water pumping system with a water tank was also performed. After analysis, it was concluded that a solar water pumping solution with a water tank is a more feasible solution for Pakistani conditions. The fourth stage of this thesis comprises an open-source Emoncms based SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition) monitoring system on which environmental, hydro and electrical parameters of a solar water pumping system were reflected. As the last stage of the thesis, data for three hours and forty minutes was logged in the designed SCADA system