Modelling of a large-scale solar powered water pumping system for irrigation in Saudi Arabia

This paper illustrates a study on dynamic modelling of a large scale solar powered water pumping system for irrigation in Saudi Arabia. The system is expected to deliver 245 m
³
of water per day. System dynamic modelling is done using Matlab/Simulink which contains several models of such systems such as 11.5 kW solar arrays, two stages DC-DC boost converter, 5.5 kW DC shunt motor, and centrifugal pump. In order to improve the system efficiency, perturbation and observation (P&O) algorithm based maximum power point tracker (MPPT) was built in the system model for the first stage of the converter; as well as PID for the second stage. Matlab/Simulink simulation shows that this system can deliver the required energy with quite satisfactory controller dynamic performance.