Comparative study by simulation of photovoltaic pumping systems with stationary and polar tracking arrays

Using mathematical models for the different components of the photovoltaic pumping system: generator, inverter (if applicable), motors, pumps and piping, we have developed a computer program that, for given irradiance and temperature data, calculates the flow of water pumped at any given time. The program has been applied to study the hourly and yearly water flow pumped by a photovoltaic pumping system located in Madrid, employing centrifugal pumps powered by AC motors. The photovoltaic generator consists of, in one case, a stationary array and in the second case a polar tracking array. The hourly radiation data were estimated from the distribution of the atmospheric clearness coefficients and the monthly average daily radiation on a horizontal surface. The results of this study show that the use of a polar tracking array increases the average yearly water flow compared with the stationary array more than the corresponding increase of the incident radiation on the arrays. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.