Solar PV Water Pumping with Variable Frequency Drive by Darwin Motion

Posted on 3rd Jan 2023

Solar electricity offers great advantages to Earth. Nothing can make big difference in the daily lives like pumping water. There are three different modes that water pumps can be linked to PV modules. The right selection is made by application specific factors like what amount of water is essential and whether the water must be available at night or just during high sun time.

A big AC pump is highly needed for high amounts of water. These pumps need well regulated 3 phase AC voltage and current. By using Darwin Motion AC variable speed controller known as Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) or Adjustable Speed Drive(ASD) the pump motor receive the right voltage and current.

The tip is to supply DC from the PV array straight into the DC bus inside the Variable Frequency Drive. The normal AC input is not utilized. With the rising of sun, increase of PV voltage and current, some Variable Frequency Drives will accept the input and when the power is extreme, it will begin the pump. The PV array have to be big enough to offer adequate power to begin the pump with including the head of water. The PV array size need for this way can be highly costly.

The main benefit of using a Variable Frequency Drive is the energy cost savings linked with speed control. When utilizing belts/sheaves or gearboxes for reducing speed, the motor still operates at full speed; however, a Variable Frequency Drives reduces the real motor speed, which cut down the amps drawn by the motor. This cut down the amount of energy utilized and saves you energy costs. By increasing the motor speed gradually, Variable Frequency Drive also help consumer save energy by cutting down the in-rush and mechanical concern linked with beginning motors across the line.

The foremost and clearest way a Variable Frequency Drive can save you money is by rising the efficiency of your AC motors and cutting down electricity utilization. The amount of energy that a Variable Frequency Drive can save depends on the motor average load and the number of hours per day it is operating on. While the average of energy savings changes it is safe to say that most AC motors not required to be running at complete capacity for most hours of their utilization. Also, the initial price of a motor or Variable Frequency Drive is usually only a fraction of the cost of running the motor over its life span.

Extra benefits of Variable Frequency Drive:

A Variable Frequency Drive might be utilized to control process temperature, pressure, or flow without the utilization of a distinct controller. Suitable sensors and electronics are utilized to interface the driven devices with the Variable Frequency Drive.

  • Lower maintenance price, as lower running speeds providing longer life for bearings and motors.
  • The motor does not need a starter.
  • The ability of a Variable Frequency Drive to restrict torque to a user-selected level guards driven devices that cannot bear extreme torque.
  • Users can use multi-motor applications like pumps or fans, with single control unit.
  • Approximately thirty to forty percent of energy saved.