To calculate the energy consumption of the pump, you have to use the electrical power of the equipment and not the horsepower HP translation. Here it is important that there are two different power values: Nominal power (without load) and maximum power (with mecanical load).
In our example we work with an 500 W (maximum power) pump.
There are two selection criterias in a solar system:
The water FLOW in the hight of the water tank or consumption. You have to measure the hight between the water entrance and the water outlet.
The real electrical power CONSUMPTION for this flow.
En sistemas solares, que solamente sirven a bombear agua, la reserva diaria puede ser prevista en el tamaño de los baterías, también sirve instalar un tanque de agua más grande. Esto depende de los costos.
In the following page we are calculating a small solar water pumping system.
In the following pages are a bigger systems, and aferwards an example of waterpumping without batteries.
Calculation of consumption of the water pump
Generally you work with an average of 90 to 150 litres of water per person and day in rural instalations. This varies if you got water toilets or lavatories installed. You also have to calculate future water consumption and therefor to increase the solar system.
You multiply the daily water needs with the number of persons. In this case 5 persons multiplied by the daily average water needs 100 l/p/d equals 500 l/d.
The pump got a flow of 1500 l/h in 20 meters of total hight. You divide the daily average need 500 l/d by the flow of the pump 1500 l/h and get the needed working hours of the pump.
In this example the pump works more or less 0,4 hours a day.
If your solar system is working only for water pumping, you have got the option to buy a special direct current DC pump, and you could save the costs of the inverter, which produces the AC for your pump.
*** The inverter needs a bigger power output than the pump, because electrical motors and pumps consume about four times more current in the first seconds of the startup.
