2011 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
- 243 -
Abstract
--This paper deals with the transient simulation
and experimental investigation for model verification of a
hybrid solar and wind water pumping system under
ambient condition of Phatthalung province in southern
Thailand. The hybrid solar and wind water pumping system
consists of a 1.028 kWp a-Si PV array with a controller, a
1.0 kWp wind turbine generator with a controller, a battery
charger controller, a battery bank, a 650 W 48 V D.C.
surface water pump, and a 1,500 L water storage tank with
2.5 m head, and a piping system. The transient simulation
was carried out using TRNSYS 16.01 computer simulation
with the ambient environmental data in Phatthalung
province, southern Thailand in order to predict the monthly
average power output generated by a PV generator and by a
wind turbine generator as well as the monthly water yield.
The predicted data was compared to the field experimental
results for model validation and the percentage absolute
error was computed. Result showed that the predicted
monthly and yearly average power produced by a PV
generator was in the range of 351-504 W and 407 W
corresponding to the monthly and yearly average efficiency
of 4.27-5.94% and 5.1%. The predicted monthly and yearly
average power produced by a wind turbine generator was in
the range of 1-213 W and 67 W corresponding to the
monthly and yearly average efficiency of 0.13-22.06% and
6.75%. The solar and wind fraction were 85.80:14.20 for the
whole year. The percentage absolute error was in the range
of 5.16-21.50% while the high accuracy of the transient
simulation occurred during summer season.
Keywords
--Photovoltaic, TRNSYS, Solar Energy, Wind
Energy, Wind Turbine Generator
I. I
NTRODUCTION
Water pumping system using renewable energy-based
power supply has its own characteristics depending on
application. Since the potential and socio-economic
structure varies from place to place in the same country, a
solution that is appropriate in one region may be
unsuitable in another. In developing countries, the
applications of water pumping system are mainly limited
to both life critical drinking water and micro-irrigation
applications. Since they have been in operation around
the world for a long time and most of them are
successfully apply in remote areas. Despite the great
success, some challenges are still hindering its broader
application, i.e. capital cost, operation and maintenance
issues, health, simplified system design and water
conservation, as well as workshop and training [1].
However, some advantages for solar water pumping
system as well as for other concepts applying renewable
energy exist, where grid connection in unavailable.
Furthermore, the PV technology is mature and could be
applied on a larger scale, contributing an environmentally
favorable alternative to fossil fuel-based power
conventional pumps [2]. In such remote areas, small solar
water pumping systems are ideal for village water
supplies. The need of this kind of system is very large,
but the present capital cost of commercial system is too
high resulting unaffordable of most users. The obvious
means for reducing system costs were suggested as
follows; reduce solar cells and panels cost, to increase the
output of the cells by concentrating the solar radiation
with suitable optical equipment, and to decrease the
electrical demand by raising the efficiency of the rest of
the system [3]. Furthermore, the surveyed data showed
that though the numbers of renewable energy based
pumps are negligibly small as compared to the number of
electric pumps, the rate of growth of their dissemination
in India is much higher than the growth rate in the
number of electric pump [4]. The use of solar water
pumping system may rely on the potential of solar energy
in such area. The potential of solar energy development
for water pumping in Jordan was studied. Based on the
annual amount of water output, the selected sites could be
divided into three categories; adequate for solar water
pumping, promising and poor [5]. About sixty solar
pumping systems were installed in the socio-economic
development in Algerian Sahara to supply water for
drinking and irrigation. The analysis of the performance
concluded that the surface pump is suitable for
installation in the Sahara regions with low water head [6].
In general, the cheapest, simplest, and most reliable of all
the different photovoltaic water pumping system is direct
coupling photovoltaic pumping system which composed
of a PV array directly connected to a DC motor driving a
centrifugal pump [7]. This system simply stores water
instead of storing electrical energy, therefore, the
advantage of this system led to its widespread use all over
the world. However, a non-matching load condition
between pump and a PV array frequently occurred. This
is due to the motor driving a volumetric pump requires
constant current at a certain head, apart from the starting
Transient Simulation and Verification of a
Hybrid Solar and Wind Water Pumping System
for Rural Area of Southern Thailand
J. Waewsak* C. Kasagepongsan* U. Boonbumrong** and J. Khedari***
* Solar and Wind Energy Research Unit, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Thaksin University,
(Thailand)
** Clean Energy System Group (CES), School of Energy, Materials and Environment
King Mongkut’s University of
Technology Thonburi,
(Thailand)
*** Rattanakosin College for Sustainable Energy and Environment,
(Thailand)
