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Solar Pumping Toolkit - Installation and O&M

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Revision as of 10:27, 5 October 2018 by ***** (***** | *****)

Solar Pumping Toolkit - The Global Solar & Water Initiative

Overview

Solar powered water schemes will suffer fewer breakdowns and have much less intensive maintenance than generator or hand pump schemes. However solar powered schemes can and will experience problems at some point that cannot be solved at community level (or for which the managing NGO will probably need support), regardless of the training provided.

As such it is important that if possible, service agreements are established prior to any installation, and renewed as years pass by, with a quality private contractor, water utility, water service provider of relevant government technical office. The possibility to remotely operate and monitor solar pumping schemes could also be considered in certain contexts as a way to reinforce preventive maintenance.

PHYSICAL INSTALLATION and MAINTENANCE CHECKLISTs

In order to get a good quality solar pumping installation, monitoring the field work carried out by the private contractor selected is of paramount importance. It is therefore strongly recommended to WASH officers to follow up as much as possible the below list of actions.

Introduction: 4 steps

  1. Check the references of all components of the system to ensure that the installed components are those provided in the design.
  2. Check orientation and the inclination of the panels, and shadow on the Solar PV generator. The orientation and inclination values must be close enough to those that were determined during calculations sizing. The acceptable variations will be less than 5 ° for the inclination and 15 ° with respect to the geographic North- South orientation
  3. Check the cleanliness and protection of the wiring, and its compliance with the standards.
  4. Finally inspect civil works (castle, basin, trough, fixing the solar supports ...), piping, valves and all other important elements that can compromise the sound operation of the system

PDF: Installation Control Checklist

O&M TOOLKIT FOR COMMUNITIES: SOLAR POWERED WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

Installation

This section of the toolkit outlines the things that community users should look out for during the set-up of solar-water pumping systems. Committee members and scheme operators are encouraged to work with system installers and donating agencies to ensure the five measures below are adhered to.

  1. Exposed Control Box: The control box SHOULD be safely mounted onto a solid structure, with all its wires insulated.
  2. Exposed Wires: Electricity wires MUST be insulated at all times; wires should not be exposed. In case exposure, contact an electrician.
  3. Mounting of solar panels: Ensure solar panels are properly secured on to an appropriate mounting frame with enough reinforcement to mitigate the risk of theft and strong winds blowing off panels. In case of loose mounting, contact a welder to reinforce the installation.
  4. Completed Name Plates: Ensure system details are displayed on the borehole name plate. This information is important, especially, in case of need for pump repair or replacement.
  5. Unsecured Solar Panels: System Components including solar panels, the pump and storage tanks MUST be safely secured by a lockable fence manned by a security guard at night.

Operation & Maintenance

This section of the toolkit details the steps that the scheme operator and the water point committee members should to take to ensure that the system is running efficiently.

  1. Regular Cleaning of Solar Panels: Regularly clean the panels to remove accumulated dust and other debris like bird droppings. This will improve the rate of pumping. Cleaning should be done with a soft sponge, and water. DO NOT USE SOAP. Cleaning should be more regular during the dry season.
  2. Trimming of trees: Trees around the solar panels should be regularly trimmed to ensure that they do not give a shadow that blocks the panels from receiving maximum sunlight.
  3. Overflowing Tank: If the tank does not have a valve to cut off water supply when it gets full, the system operator should shut down the pump as soon as the tank is full to prevent overflows.
  4. Clearing the area around the borehole and Solar Panels: The compound where the solar panels and pump are located should be kept clean and free of litter and debris. Any tall grass should be trimmed to deter theft and vandalism

When to call a technician

References

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