Efficiency enhancement in a PV operated solar pump by effective design of VFD and tracking system

Abstract The main aim of the present work is to enhance the efficiency of a PV operated solar pump by effective design of VFD and tracking system; To achieve this, various components inside a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) are studied and analyzed, thereby performing few modifications like changing normal DC bus conductor into a foiled conductor, regulating output voltage coming from VFD by using voltage regulator, made sure VFD is placed very close to motor to reduce the conductor length and increasing the grade of cables; for solar PV panels, instead of static structures holding the panels, we used automatic tacking structures. A prototype of 2 kWp grid-interactive SPV system integrated with 1.5 HP single phase pump was installed at Tribi Systems Private Limited, Bengaluru in order to study solar power plants, analyze the performance and utility of VFD systems. The efficiency of the systems is studied by use of VFD with varying parameters, use of automatic solar structures and identified ways or areas to reduce the power losses which in turn could increase the efficiency of the system. By employing a dual-axis solar tracking system coupled to a low power micro controller and a low power low torque actuator, the model meets the desired capabilities of producing as much output power as possible while still being affordable to consumers. This system is adaptable to meet the needs of small-scale power production as well as the needs of a large-scale solar farm.