[RE-wrenches] PV water pumping

Thu Feb 10 08:07:34 PST 2011

Ditto on the AC option. Most of the "battery  based" PV
systems I have seen outside the US are completely lacking
for maintenance esp. the battery bank. Most folks  are not
aware of or have available distilled H20. 

I saw a village PV - telephone system in Fiji that "the
batteries only work after the sun comes out" , no water in
the battery bank to be seen and no-one in the village had
heard of distilled H2O. The installer from the phone company
sad to "use fresh water [well], not salt-water  in the
bank".

So maybe sealed batteries? 

Higher initial cost and shorter life-span than wet LA
batteries but lots less no maintenance issues. 

Are in-country sealed  batteries available?

Dana Orzel

Great Solar Works, Inc

E - dana at solarwork.com

V - 970.626.5253

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"Responsible Technologies for Responsible People since 1988"

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action.

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf
Of Warren Lauzon
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:17 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] PV water pumping

The SQ-Flex can run directly from a high voltage battery/PV
system, but with a battery based system at over 60 volts or
so, you have a lot of problems finding a good charge
controller.

So, even with the associated losses you are going to get
with an inverter system, that is probably the only good
option.

But I would also advise that systems such as that,
especially those involving a large battery capacity, are
very highly subject to failure through mis-operation, poor
maintenance, and outright theft in many 3rd world countries,
so if you end up designing the system keep that in mind.

From: Phil Undercuffler <mailto:solarphil at gmail.com>  

Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 6:59 AM

To: RE-wrenches <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>  

Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] PV water pumping

Tom, 

It can be done, depending upon how deep the static water
level is and what additional lift or pressurization needs to
be overcome.  

The SQ-Flex will run at highest capacity off an AC source,
so I'd consider using an inverter system and grid power,
with additional solar designed to supplement the grid.  You
can run the SQ-Flex off a 120v source, so a single inverter
works fine.  I run my Flex off my FX2024 along with all my
regular household loads, no problems.

Size the array to cover the load through the longest
expected grid outage (minimum) or you can size the solar to
provide the majority of the power, and use the grid as
"bonus" energy or to cover up for sizing shortages or the
inevitable load creep.  

Phil Undercuffler 

"imagine if..."

On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 5:29 AM, Tom DeBates
<habitek83 at yahoo.com> wrote:

hello Wrenches,
  I have an organization in Haiti that I have assisted with
PV projects in the past. They drill public wells and have a
well (4" casing) that they would like to pump with PV.
Problem (one) is that well will draw at ~ 20 gpm and they
want ~ 25,000 gpd from the well. I have tried to look at
every option I can and it looks like a battery bank will be
necessary and an inverter ( 48 volt battery bank) to pump at
the rate required. OOPPs, forgot they want to use a Grundfos
SQ Flex pump, 16-SQF-10. The gird is "present".....very
erratic and stressed, of course. They really would not like
to stress gird further and do not want to add a generator.
Yep, they made this easy. There are more details, but has
anyone designed a PV water pumping system under these
constraints and, if so, what have been your results?
thanks,
tom

Tom DeBates
Habi-Tek
524 Summit St.
Geneva,IL. 60134
630-262-8193
fax 630-262-1343

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