Experimental investigation of ridge concentrator PV-based solar water pumping system for small-scale applications

Solar photovoltaic (PV) pumping systems were found to be used in many countries, but at present, they are expensive due to the high cost of materials. The cost can be reduced by using some optical concentrators such as linear mirrors, lenses, etc. Based on the economy and reliability, the concentrator PV pumping system is suitable for remote and small-scale water pumping applications. In this paper, a single axis monthly tracking ridge concentrator has been proposed as an alternative to reduce the final cost of the pumping system. Certain optical parameters, such as concentration ratio (C), tilt angle (?), and trough angle (Psi), would provide more illumination on the PV region, where the panels are located. In this system, the entire tracking can be reduced into a single axis monthly tilt (?) according to the latitude and the declination of the location. The usage of ridge wall with optimum trough angle causes an increase in the receiver irradiation (I-rec) and thus the gain in terms of water volume while pumping. The optimum trough angle was simulated by TracePro model and the shading analysis and characteristic curves were obtained using the PVSyst software. In this work, the entire system was experimentally tested using the maximum power extraction system controller fed inverter and battery-coupled configuration mode. The gains in power and pumped water volume with various tilting, with and without concentrator against fixed system with various solar radiations, were absorbed. As a result, the concentration ratio on PV module at 60 degrees trough angle increased the optical efficiency and produced better water volume during the peak noon condition. The results indicated the V-I characteristics on the ridge concentrator PV surfaces with optimum tilt as significantly greater than those on normal module. There was an increase in electrical power gain up to 10.2%, 19.03%, 23.10%, and 47.89% for single X, single X with tilt, double X, and double X with tilt, respectively, compared with a fixed panel. The ridge concentrator with double X reflector coupled with battery had less charging of 6.8h compared to the reference panel. This mode produces maximum flow rate of 37.5L/min at peak isolation condition.