Design Approach for Solar Photovoltaic Ground Water Pumping System for Eastern India

Eastern India has rich resource base for intensive and diversified agriculture, but the production and productivity of this region is quite low due to lack of assured irrigation as even a short dry spell of drought adversely affects the stability of agricultural production. The energy squeeze in terms of lack of grid electricity and substantial increase in diesel prices refrain farmers from operating pumps for required number hours to fulfil their irrigation needs. Eastern India possesses enormous solar energy potential with solar radiation of 4.0 - 6.4 kWh/m2/day and 250 - 300 bright sunshine days/year. Therefore, it can be a year round reliable source of energy for groundwater pumping to meet supplementary irrigation requirements. In addition to energy reliability, the environmental pollution in terms of carbon emission could also be reduced. However, in view of initial investment cost of solar pumping system, cropping patterns and landholding sizes, the solar photovoltaic pumping system should be of appropriate size and should be designed in view of solar radiation availability, groundwater depth below ground level and crop water requirement in different seasons. This paper discusses about the design aspects of solar groundwater pumping system to fulfil these propositions.