Swiss Partners
CUEPE University Center for the Study of Energy Problems (Energy Group),
University of Geneva,
http://www.unige.ch/energie,
Bernard Lachal, André Mermoud
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Documentation
Swiss Contribution
The project complements the already successfully deployed PVSyst software as an additional solar water pump component. PVSyst has been developed since 1993, with the support of the Federal Office of Energy at the University of Geneva and is now one of the world’s most widely used software for simulation of photovoltaic systems.
Description
This project aims to develop a generally usable simulation and optimization procedure for photovoltaic-powered water pumps and to integrate these with the distributed PVSyst software. This primarily includes the general model development of the pump’s electrical and hydraulic behaviour, which is valid for all photovoltaic system operating conditions. This model should then be created on the basis of a manufacturer’s standard specifications. The model must then be installed in the entire system’s simulation process. For this purpose, an hourly simulation that support environmental conditions (weather, users‘ needs, source behaviour), as well as the currently available technologies (direct DC coupling, AC operation, backup battery, etc.) should be taken into account. The tool to be developed, which is mainly used in southern countries, is aimed to be used by solar water pump developers. It shall also promote understanding of these applications’ behaviour, together with the technical, pedagogical and didactic elements. Therefore, it also is significant for technical training.