Feasibility study of photovoltaic water pump for rice paddy irrigation

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, Cilegon-Banten
² Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, Cilegon-Banten

^a Corresponding author: rim.moenarto@gmail.com

Abstract

Diesel pumps are commonly used for irrigation purposes of paddy fields at locations far from the grid. Diesel pumps have low reliability because they require high maintenance costs. The use of photovoltaic is a valuable option because the selection decision is not only based on direct biya modal but also includes environmental costs. These solutions reduce the impact of global warming, mitigate negative effects on air quality and contribute to sustainable economic development. Daily sun conditions in Indonesia are average in the horizontal plane within the range of 5-7 kWh/m²/day and the average daily sun shines within the 7-9 hour. The availability of solar radiation is quite abundant and due to the high cost of grid connections, the pumping of irrigated rice paddy water is beneficial to the water needs for remote communities in Indonesia. It is known from some literature that the photovoltaic irrigation pump system is technically and economically feasible for very small systems in hectares orders. Technical and economic feasibility is determined as a function of the plant and geographical location, including climatic factors, soil quality, ground water depth and recharge rate. The objective of the research is to design a system of pumping irrigation of paddy field of photovolatics to replace previous diesel pumps that meet the criteria of feasibility standard. From simulation using PVSYST 5.0 software, it is known need of solar panel as many as 5 series module and 2 parallel module which fulfill the required eligibility criteria.