Design and Performance Assessment of a Standalone Solar Water Pumping System for Dual Agricultural Loads

This study presents the design of a stand-alone solar photovoltaic system developed to operate two irrigation pumps located in Vanike Tarar, Punjab, where farmers face rising electricity costs and unreliable grid supply. The pumping requirements were estimated from actual operating hours, giving daily energy needs of about 46.1 kWh for Pump 1 and 26.0 kWh for Pump 2. Local solar conditions and load data were modelled in HOMER Pro to determine a suitable configuration. The selected system includes a 32.8 kW PV array made from Jinko 345 W modules arranged for a 48 V DC bus, supported by a battery bank of 24 Trojan SAGM 12-205 AGM units (four in series and six parallel strings) with roughly 63 kWh of storage and about 50 kWh of usable capacity. A 10.9 kW SunPower inverter provides AC power to both pumps. The annual simulation shows that the array generates around 45,692 kWh, which is sufficient to meet the seasonal irrigation demand. The net present cost is estimated at Rs 5.57 million, with a levelized cost of energy near Rs 16.70/kWh. Overall, the results suggest that a system of this size can reliably replace grid- connected or diesel pumping and offer a practical, cost-reducing option for agricultural users in similar rural settings.