2020 IEEE Students Conference on Engineering & Systems (SCES)
July 10-12, 2020
Prayagraj, India
Solar Water Pumping System Modelling and
Analysis using MATLAB/Simulink
Shraiya Pant
Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Roorkee, India
spant@ah.iitr.ac.in
Abstract— Solar photovoltaic (PV) based water pumping
systems provide an appropriate substitute to the traditional
water pumps based on electricity and diesel because of low cost
and eco-friendly nature. These systems are very suitable for
remote locations with no access to electricity grid. The output of
solar PV systems varies with varying external conditions like
solar irradiance and temperature. In this work, a MATLAB/
Simulink based study of solar powered water pumping system
with permanent magnet DC motor driving a centrifugal pump
has been done. Perturb and observe (P&O) maximum power
point tracking algorithm has been implemented to regulate duty
cycle of a DC-DC boost converter. The Simulink model has been
tested for three condition (i.e. under standard test condition
(STC), varying solar irradiance and partial shading condition).
Keywords- Solar water pumps, Perturb and Observe,
Maximum Power Point Tracking, Permanent Magnet DC motor,
Centrifugal pump
I. INTRODUCTION
Stand-alone solar photovoltaic (PV) based water
pumping systems (PWPS) have emerged as a viable option to
replace electricity and diesel driven pumping systems as these
are eco-friendly and cost effective. A direct relationship
exists between the available solar radiation and water
requirement. Water is most essential commodity for
sustainable existence, and uninterrupted provision of water
acts as a backbone for developing and under developed
countries. Solar water pumping systems can bridge the
water-energy nexus. Prolonged incidence of solar radiation
can help in attaining the above. Although these systems are
very suitable for meeting the water requirement of remote
areas, these have certain challenges because their
performance depends on the external operating conditions
(solar irradiance and temperature) [1].
Fig. 1. Schematic of solar water pump operation
A basic solar PWPS has components like PV array,
converter/inverter, motor and pump which are depicted above
(Fig. 1). Here, PV arrays generate power using available solar
energy which is made suitable for motor by converter or
inverter. This power then fed to the motor which further runs
the pump to deliver water for a particular head and discharge
need.
978-1-7281-9339-7/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
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R.P.Saini
Department of Hydro and Renewable Energy
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Roorkee, India
rajsafah@iitr.ac.in
Dynamic modelling of solar water pumps using
MATLAB/Simulink has been done in various studies [2-4].
Solar PWPS usually employ maximum power point tracking
(MPPT) to regulate non-linear output characteristics of a
Photovoltaic (PV) array so as to attain maximum power
output from PV generators. Among different MPPT
techniques developed, Perturb and Observe (P&O) is a
frequently applied MPPT technique as it is simple in nature,
easy to implement and highly reliable for both grid-tied as
well as stand-alone systems [5]. Motors used for PWPS can
be DC or AC motors. DC motor can be operated directly by
PV module. Nonetheless, in event of AC pumps, a voltage
inverter is prerequisite, thus increasing installation cost.
Previous studies have reported the advantage of PMDC over
conventional DC motors and single-phase AC induction
motors [6]. There are two kinds of commonly used pumps
that are frequently employed for solar PWPS i.e. positive
displacement or centrifugal pumps. For low volume
applications positive displacement pumps are an economic
option. On the other hand, for pumping out high volumes of
water with relatively high efficiency centrifugal pumps are
preferred [7].
This work presents a MATLAB/Simulink based study
of a PWPS which uses a permanent magnet DC (PMDC)
motor driving a centrifugal pump under three conditions of
solar irradiance (i.e. constant irradiance, varying irradiance
and partial shading). Perturb and observe MPPT algorithm is
applied for regulation of DC-DC boost converter duty cycle
to provide maximum power from PV source to PMDC motor.
Section II describes about the various components of the
modelled solar PWPS. In section III results of the Simulink
model are discussed in details followed by conclusion of the
work in section IV.
II. SOLAR WATER PUMPING SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Various components of a solar PWPS modelled in this work
include: PV array, DC-DC boost converter, P&O MPPT
algorithm, PMDC motor and centrifugal pump. These
components and their specification used for modelling are
given below.
A. PV modelling
A solar PV generator is a non-linear power source which
has its output dependent on external environmental
conditions like solar irradiance, temperature, etc. A single
diode equivalent circuit can be used for representation of a
PV generator (Fig. 2).
 B. Boost Converter
For effective transference of maximum power produced by
PV generator to motor-pump load, a DC-DC boost converter
is modelled in this work. This converter increases the voltage
from PV generator side to load side. Electrical circuit of a
boost converter is shown below (Fig.4).

Fig. 2. Equivalent circuit of single diode model of solar cell

Here, IL represents photocurrent generated by solar cell. A
parallel connected diode represents the diffusion current (ID).
RS and RSH represent diode series and shunt resistances which
are due to metal contact and manufacturing defects
respectively. The current-voltage of PV module with series
connected solar cells are related to each other as:

= − −1 −

(1)
where I represents PV module output current (A), Vpv
represents PV array output voltage (V), Ns and Np are series Fig. 4. Boost converter circuit
and parallel connected PV modules respectively, ns
represents series connected PV cells in one string, Rs and Rsh If MOSFET switch is kept closed, boost converter gets
are PV module series and shunt resistances (Ω), a is ideality turned on causing the inductor current to increase. Contrarily,
factor of p-n junction. The PV panel considered in the present opening MOSFET switch turns off the boost converter. In this
work is Sun World Solar Energy SWM300M156 whose case, the current would flow through capacitor, diode and
specifications are given in Table 1. Here, an arrangement of load. Eq. 2 shows the correlation between boost converter’s
four PV modules of the considered specification is used. input and output voltages.
Variation of PV array current and power with voltage under = (2)
various solar irradiance (G) is depicted in Fig. 3.
As d (boost converter duty cycle) lies in the interval of 0 to 1,
TABLE I. SPECIFICATIONS OF SUN WORLD SOLAR ENERGY output voltage of boost converter is always higher than the
SWM300M156 input voltage. Table II shows various parameters used for
Characteristics Value modelling a boost converter in this work.
Maximum power at STC (Pmax) 300.6432 Wp
TABLE II: PARAMETERS FOR BOOST CONVERTER MODELLING
Open circuit voltage (Voc) 44.71 V
Parameter Value
Voltage at MPP (Vmpp) 37.44 V
Short circuit current (Isc) 8.69 A Resistor (R) 50 Ω
Current at MPP (Impp) 8.03 A Inductor (L) 1.15 mH
Total series connected solar cells, (Ns) 72
Capacitor (C1) 10 µF
Coefficient of temperature for Isc 0.026605 mA/K
Coefficient of temperature for Voc 0.34661 mV/K Capacitor (C2) 470 µF

C. P&O MPPT
P&O method implicates periodic perturbation (raise or
decrement) of current or voltage generated by PV source,
along with assessment of power output of present cycle to the
power output of preceding perturbation cycle. When
operating voltage of the module changes with an increase in
power, the control system shifts the operating point in that
direction otherwise, it moves in opposite direction. The P&O
algorithm continuously searches the MPP in similar manner
in subsequent perturbation cycles [8]. The flow diagram of
P&O MPPT technique is depicted below (Fig. 5).

Fig. 3. PV array characteristics curves at varying G and T=25 oC

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Fig. 5. Flowchart of P&O MPPT technique
D. Permanent Magnet DC motor
This paper presents modelling of a PMDC motor. It is
much suitable for water pumping as it can directly be
operated by the DC power produced by PV modules without
the need of components like inverters. Moreover, it exhibits
high range of speed, high discharge and efficiency compared
to conventional DC motors [9]. The armature voltage of
PMDC is given by (3) in terms of armature resistance (Ra),
armature inductance (L) and back emf (Vb):
= (3)
The motor back emf is calculated using:
= (4)
where Ke represents motor back emf constant (V/rad/s) and
is motor speed (rad/s). The relation between the
electromechanical torque and armature current is given by:
= (5)
The PMDC is modelled using (3), (4) and (5). The
specifications of PMDC modelled in this work are given in
table III.
TABLE III: PARAMETERS OF PERMANENT MAGNET DC
MOTOR
Parameter Value
Armature current, Rated (I) 9.2 A
Armature voltage, Rated (V) 120 V
Armature resistance and inductance 1.5 Ω, 0.2 H
(Ra, La)
Moment of inertia (J) 0.02365 kg m2
Rated motor speed (ω) 157.079 rad/s
Motor constant (Ke) 0.67609 Nm/A
E. Centrifugal Pump
Centrifugal pumps are used for application in head
requirements of shallow to medium lifts (till 80m head)
through vast flow rates. These have relatively higher
efficiencies in comparison to positive displacement pumps
[10]. In this work a centrifugal pump is modelled which is
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operating at a head of 20m. The absorptive power of a pump
is actually mechanical power developed on the shaft coupling
the motor to pump and it is given by:
= (6)
where water density (kg/m3) is represented by ρ, g represents
acceleration due to gravity (m2/s), H represents total head
(m), Q is pump discharge (m3/s), and η is pump efficiency.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The MATLAB/ Simulink model of solar PVPS with PMDC
motor that drives a centrifugal pump is given below in Fig.6.
The results of the simulations are given in the following
sections.
A. Standard Test Condition (STC)
The solar PWPS was first tested under STC where the
solar radiation and temperature are 1000 W/m2 and 25οC,
respectively. Under this condition the PV array power output
to motor is 1200W while the motor output to centrifugal
pump is 955 W which is due to the losses in the motor. Motor
speed, armature current and electromagnetic torque are 2712
rpm, 5.97 A and 4.035 Nm respectively. In this case the
discharge of pump is found to be 4.135 L/s. The results under
STC are depicted below in Fig. 7.
B. Under Varying Solar Irradiance
Fig.8 shows the variation of solar irradiance provided as input
to the PV array. Corresponding variation in PV power output,
motor speed, armature current, electromagnetic torque,
output motor power and pump discharge are depicted in Fig.
9.
From the plots in Fig.9, it is found that at t= 3s when solar
radiation changes from 1000 W/m2 to 800 W/m2, the PV array
power output has reduced from 1200 W to 980 W very
quickly showing the quick response of the P&O MPPT. The
motor speed, reduces from 2711 rpm to 2534 rpm causing a
change in pump discharge from 4.135 L/s to 3.362 L/s. Again,
at t= 6 s, the change of irradiance from 800 W/m2 to 400
W/m2 causing a reduction of PV power output from 980 W to
485 W. The motor speed is reduced to 1979 rpm at 400 W/m2
providing a water discharge of 1.605 L/s.
C. Under Partial Shading Condition
Under this condition, different solar irradiance input (i.e. 800
W/m2, 500 W/m2, 1000 W/m2 and 600 W/m2) is given to the
four PV modules used in the array. The PV array has its
Global maximum power point (GMPP) at 704.2 W. But from
the simulation results (Fig. 10), power output of the PV array
is found to be 528 W which is a local maximum in the PV
characteristic curve which is treated as the GMPP by the P&O
MPPT algorithm. The motor speed under this condition is
reduced to 2030 corresponding to the reduce PV power
output. The output of various components under this
condition can be seen in Fig. where the pump discharge is
found to be 1.572 L/s.
 Fig. 6. MATLAB/Simulink model of solar PWPS

Fig. 7. (a) PV power, (b) motor speed, (c) motor armature current, (d) electromagnetic torque, (e) motor power output and (f)
pump discharge under STC condition

Fig. 8. Radiation variation input to PV array

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Fig. 9. (a) PV power, (b) motor speed, (c) motor armature current, (d) electromagnetic torque, (e) motor power output and (f)
pump discharge under varying solar irradiance

Fig. 10. (a) PV power, (b) motor speed, (c) motor armature current, (d) electromagnetic torque, (e) motor power output and
(f) pump discharge under partial shading condition

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 IV. CONCLUSION system using a DC motor and PMDC motor," IEEE-
The MATLAB/Simulink model of a solar PWPS has been International Conference On Advances In Engineering,
implemented with a PMDC motor operating the centrifugal Science And Management (ICAESM -2012), 2012, pp. 129-
pump. The model implements P&O MPPT technique for 132.
regulating DC-DC boost converter duty cycle. The Simulink [10] B. Khiari, A. Sellami, and R. Andoulsi, "MPPT
model is tested under three different conditions i.e. STC, control of photovoltaic pumping system based on discrete
varying solar radiation and partial shading condition. Under sliding mode," in International Renewable Energy Congress,
STC (1000 W/m2 and 25οC), the PV array produces 1200 W 2010, pp. 66-72.
that generates a motor speed of 2717 rpm delivering a water
discharge of 4.135 L/s. Under the condition of varying solar
irradiance, the model responds to a two-step irradiance
variation (1000-800 W/m2 and 800-400 W/m2) that causes the
pump’s initial discharge of 4.135 L/s finally reduces to 1.605
L/s. It was found from the partial shading condition that P&O
MPPT technique locates the MPP incorrectly as it considers
a local maximum to be GMPP.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors sincerely thank the Department of Hydro and
Renewable Energy, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee,
India for support and the Ministry of Human Resources and
Development (MHRD) for providing assistantship for work.
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