Design and Development of a Variable-Duty Solar-Powered Fluid Pump for Rural and Industrial Adaptation

Abstract

Africa is strategically positioned to reap massively from investing in harnessing its solar energy potentials. Research and development efforts are beginning to pave way for innovation, promotion and investments in inclusive, sustainable, clean and more efficient renewable energy sources such as solar energy which if well harnessed can provide up to 5000 TWH of cheap, readily available and renewable energy annually. This paper presents the design and development of a computerized duty-selector-controlled variable-duty solar-powered fluid pump which finds applications from small scale domestic, to heavy-duty industrial and agricultural purposes. It involves the fundamentals of design and construction of pumps, solar to electrical energy and software programming with C# programming language. The product was successfully built and pilot tested, pumping water from two storage tanks at ground level to a 10 metres high overhead tank with a capacity of 600 litres within 30 minutes.