Multifunctional and Movable Solar Photovoltaic System for On-Grid and Water Pumping Applications Towards a Carbon-Free Society

This study developed a multifunctional and movable solar PV system with a capacity of 3.3 kWp for on-grid and off-grid applications. The main objective of this study is to reduce diesel consumption in the agricultural water irrigation process, as most farmers depend on diesel-sourced water pumping systems. The agricultural lands in Thailand are widely remote, and electricity access is comparatively low. On the other hand, implementing the solar PV systems for agricultural water pumping is not cost-effective for farmers, as the water pumping requirements are not adequate. Considering the investment cost of the solar water pumping application, a movable solar PV system is designed to operate in on-grid and off-grid conditions. During the on-grid operation, the solar PV system-generated electrical energies are fed to the local grid whenever water pumping is required for farming, the movable solar PV system is detached from the grid and moved to the farming land, where it performs off-grid operation. It is found that a multifunctional solar PV system generates 12.4 kWh, which is fed to the local grid, and during the off-grid operation, the solar PV system generates 9.84 kWh of electrical energy, which yields 236412.97 liters of water. The multifunctional solar PV system significantly reduces 2.68 kg of CO2 and is cost-effective for farmers with environmental benefits.