Design, simulation of different configurations and life-cycle cost analysis of solar photovoltaic–water-pumping system for agriculture applications: use cases and implementation issues

Water is an essential resource for agriculture and the majority of land is irrigated through borewells or wells. The power requirement for an irrigation pump motor is fed by the on-grid power supply but the availability of electricity in rural areas is still questionable. With rising concerns about global warming and the rise in carbon footprints, it is necessary to choose clean and green energy, thereby attaining self-sustainable life. India receives yearly a mean solar irradiation of 6.5 kWh/m2day. Hence, a solar photovoltaic–water-pumping system (SPV–WPS) is a suitable alternative to grid energy; thereby, the farmers would generate electricity through the solar photovoltaic system and become self-sufficient in their energy needs. In this paper, two different agricultural fields in Tamil Nadu, India that deploy flood irrigation and drip irrigation are taken as a case study. The paper discusses the concerns on the use of grid power and their carbon footprint, design and simulation of 4- and 5.5-kW SPV–WPSs using PVsyst 7.1.1, and the advantages of using SPV–WPSs and life-cycle cost analysis on different use cases. The Government of India has introduced a special scheme to promote the installation of SPV–WPSs by offering attractive incentives through PM-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) yojana. The results of the case study show that with the use of SPV–WPSs, either with or without subsidy, the farmer could gain a minimum of 250% on the investment with a project lifetime of 25 years.