Life Cycle Analysis of the Raseta Pump Using OpenLCA

Developed and crafted in Madagascar, the Raseta pump is a novel hydraulic ram (hydram) pump using a springs system. It operates differently from other pumps by the exclusive use of water energy due to the water hammer phenomenon induced by the sudden stop of the water flow. The present study initiates the investigation of the environmental impacts of this new type of hydram pump through a life cycle analysis using OpenLCA 1.8. It was found that, when operating in a small-scale water pumping system, the choice of the pump supply pipe material has small differences of environmental impacts, whether the material is made of steel or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Moreover, compared to a solar pump for the same pumping flow rate, the use of the Raseta pump is more environmentally friendly and less harmful to human health. However, the actual advantageous utilization of such a system needs further studies such as social and techno-economic analysis.

Optimal Configuration Investigation for Photovoltaic Water Pumping System, Case Study: In a Desert Environment at Ghardaia, Algeria

Since the first installations of solar systems, PV pumping systems have taken a large part in solar energy projects and nowadays they belong to the most significant applications of photovoltaic energy. With the increased use of the PV water pumping systems, sizing and selecting suitable design is essential in order to achieve the most reliable and economic operation for this type of systems. On a real well of 25 m head in desert and semi-arid climate in Sebseb site, Ghardaia, Algeria, a typical PV pumping system for irrigation purpose is installed in order to evaluate its performance under outdoor conditions. Therefore, three PV array configurations are considered to supply a novel version of centrifugal solar pump PS2 C-SJC 12 with a storage tank. The pumped water is used to irrigate 3 hectares of agricultural land. Oversized PV array increases its output power at weak solar irradiance. However, too much oversize will negatively affect the economic reliability. With respect to the wide normal operating range of centrifugal pump, three oversized PV configurations by 4%, 46% and 78% are examined. The experimental results show that PV pumping system can successfully start at low solar radiation 86.21 W/m2 and the optimum performances are obtained with the oversizing of 46%.

Listrik Tenaga Surya untuk Pompa Submersible pada Greenhouse Hidroganik di Kabupaten Malang

This service activity is the application of an innovative submersible solar pump in a hydro-organic greenhouse environment in Grangsil Jambangan, Malang Regency. This is motivated by the need for water that can only be obtained through deep wells with submersible pumps in hydro-organic greenhouses that already use solar power plants but have insufficient power. The purpose of this service is to provide theoretical and practical understanding for Tour conscious group (POKDARWIS) Jambangan members as managers of the hydro-organic greenhouse. The methods used include focus group discussions (FGD) and joint practice in developing solar power plants for submersible pumps. After the implementation of this program, there was an increase in the capacity of the solar power plants, which has been able to turn on submersible pumps, hydroganic circulation pumps, and other needs. In one day, the submersible pump only needs to be turned on for 2 hours and produces 4,572 liters of water, sufficient for greenhouse hydroganic needs and other needs. Another positive impact is that POKDARWIS Jambangan members have been able to manage and maintain PLTS for a hydro-organic greenhouse. The submersible water pump prototype for hydroganic agriculture at the greenhouse using independent energy is very practical and efficient so it is expected to become a prototype for modern agricultural facilities in the context of a national-scale food security improvement program.

Solar UV-B/A radiation is highly effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2

Solar UV-C photons do not reach Earth’s surface, but are known to be endowed with germicidal properties that are also effective on viruses. The effect of softer UV-B and UV-A photons, which copiously reach the Earth’s surface, on viruses are instead little studied, particularly on single-stranded RNA viruses. Here we combine our measurements of the action spectrum of Covid-19 in response to UV light, Solar irradiation measurements on Earth during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemics, worldwide recorded Covid-19 mortality data and our “Solar-Pump” diffusive model of epidemics to show that (a) UV-B/A photons have a powerful virucidal effect on the single-stranded RNA virus Covid-19 and that (b) the Solar radiation that reaches temperate regions of the Earth at noon during summers, is sufficient to inactivate 63% of virions in open-space concentrations (1.5 × 103 TCID50/mL, higher than typical aerosol) in less than 2 min. We conclude that the characteristic seasonality imprint displayed world-wide by the SARS-Cov-2 mortality time-series throughout the diffusion of the outbreak (with temperate regions showing clear seasonal trends and equatorial regions suffering, on average, a systematically lower mortality), might have been efficiently set by the different intensity of UV-B/A Solar radiation hitting different Earth’s locations at different times of the year. Our results suggest that Solar UV-B/A play an important role in planning strategies of confinement of the epidemics, which should be worked out and set up during spring/summer months and fully implemented during low-solar-irradiation periods.

Utilization of Solar Energy for Water Pump Installation Design

In summer, the utilization of solar energy can possibly satisfy the water demand. This paper examines the fluid flow in solar pump systems with solar cells. Specifically, a solar pump system model was designed and subjected to an installation test. The model consists of two solar cell units connected in series, which generate electricity and flow into the pump system. By the principles of fluid mechanics, the test results were analyzed to optimize the pump efficiency. The analysis shows that the solar cell efficiency is influenced by solar intensity, while the pump loss is maximized by fluid friction. In addition, pressure increase could affect the time of water filling; the voltage and current tend to be stable or constant.

Seven-rod pumping approach for the most efficient production of TEM00-mode solar laser power by a Fresnel lens

A seven-rod/seven-TEM00 mode beam Fresnel lens solar laser pumping approach is here proposed. The Fresnel lens with 4.0 m2 collection area was used as the primary solar concentrator to pump seven 2.5 mm diameter, 15 mm length Nd:YAG rods within a conical pump cavity through a secondary fused silica aspheric concentrator. Within the pump cavity, solar pump rays not completely absorbed by one of the seven rods were furtherly absorbed by other rods, ensuring hence a high absorption efficiency and avoiding the serious thermal lensing and thermal stress issues associated with classical large rod solar lasers. Seven individual plane-concave large-mode resonators were adopted to enable a good overlap between solar pump mode and TEM00 laser oscillating mode. By using both ZEMAX® and LASCAD® software, the maximum total TEM00 mode solar laser power of 54.65 W was numerically calculated by optimizing the radius parameter of the Fresnel lens, the diameter of the laser rod and the radius of curvature of the laser resonator output mirror. 13.66 W/m2 TEM00 mode solar laser collection efficiency and 1.44% solar power-to-TEM00 mode laser power conversion efficiency were calculated, representing substantial enhancements of 4.66 times and 4.38 times, respectively, as compared to previous experimental records of the TEM00 mode solar laser pumped through a Fresnel lens with 0.785 m2 collection area. The feasibility of TEM00 mode solar laser power delivery by hollow-core photonic crystal fibers was finally studied.

Technical and Economic Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumps against Conventional Systems in Common Crops in Ilocos Sur, Philippines

Irrigation is a well-established procedure on many farms and is practiced around the world. However, typical irrigation systems consume a great amount of conventional energy using electric motors and generators powered by fuel. The cost of solar panels has been continually decreasing, which encourages its usage in various sectors, including agriculture, where irrigation is a crucial economic driver. The study analyzed and compared PV technology against conventional irrigation technology in common crops in Ilocos Sur. Equipment sizes were optimally determined using available irrigation requirements, rainfall data, farm area, and available equipment sizes in Ilocos Sur. Equipment sizing and economic analysis were based on one hectare of land. The cash flow analysis was conducted over an assumed equipment life of 20 years to be able to come up with levelized water pumping costs. Results showed that with typical farmland in Ilocos Sur, the farmland must be alternately planted with rice and corn to be able to be fully utilized all year round. The study showed that the solar pump installation has a heavy upfront investment cost compared to the conventional system. Due to no fuel and little to no maintenance needed, the solar pump turned out to be more economically feasible in the long run. In the 20-year life of both equipment, pumping one cubic meter of water using a solar pump is only PHP 1.35 while for gasoline, it is PHP 5.44 or around four times more expensive based on the prevailing cost at the time of the study.