Application of induction motor for solar water pumping

The design and evaluation of an induction-motor-driven water pumping system which is powered by solar panels are described. The reason that an induction motor has been chosen for the project is that these motors are cheaper and more robust than the more conventional DC motors. It is expected that, by using an induction motor, the system performance will improve significantly for the same investment. The efficiency of the AC drive for a 350 Wp system was found to be 67%, which is similar to that of DC systems. For the seven-panel system that was developed, the cost saving of the AC system more than covers the cost of an extra solar panel. This represents a 15% increase in the system input power and hence for the same investment the AC system provides a far better performance.