Field of the Invention:

The present invention relates to water pumping systems. More particularly  it relates to renewable energy assisted water pumping systems useful in agriculture  hospitals  schools  hotels  restaurants  group housing societies  malls  etc.

Background of the Invention:

Worldwide  water and power are most essential resources. In many of the rural and urban areas  water is often available at least from an underground source. However  this water needs to be brought to the surface. The most efficient method currently available is to use electric-or diesel-powered pumping systems. However  due to cost and other factors  it is not possible for most of the people to afford the above pumping systems.

Thus  there is a need for a system to pump the water from the underground source in a reasonable cost and without any environmental pollution. Accordingly  there has been number of solar powered water pump systems developed to address the above problem. However  due to their complexity the systems did not provide the cost efficiency. For example  in some systems there exist batteries to store the power that obtained from the solar panel and use the same in absence of power from the solar panel. However  due to the batteries  the system may incur more operational and maintenance costs.

Therefore  the present invention is developed to provide the renewable energy assisted water pump system in a cost effective manner.

Objects of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide water supply in the fields of agriculture  hospitals  schools  hotels  restaurants  group housing societies  malls  etc. using a cost effective renewable energy assisted water pump system.

Summary of the Invention
Accordingly  the present invention provides a renewable energy assisted water pump system comprising a solar panel for providing electricity to drive a submersible pump which helps to draw ground water  a water tank to store the pumped water  at least a pipe to supply the water from the water tank to the fields  at least a controller for controlling the pump and at least a sensor for sensing the water level in the storage tank for an auto- cut off.

Detailed Description of the Invention
The present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description well known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the description with unnecessary detail.

The Renewable Energy Assisted Pump (REAP) is a green power solution - capable of meeting water storage and pumping needs of users in both rural and urban areas.

The REAP system is an easy to install submersible pump connected to a water tank with a specially designed motor powered by a solar panel.

Work on REAP essentially started keeping the needs of the farmers in mind and to come up with a solution to reducing the electricity transmission and distribution losses faced in trying to reach out to farmers.

Farmers need power for irrigation  but reaching out to serve them in far flung places entails losses in distribution of electricity. These power transmission and distribution losses needless to say are unsustainable and are unhealthy to both the economy and for shared eco system.

Off grid solutions such as REAP offer the farming sector an alternative reliable and
scientific solution  to improve productivity. It is a solution that will enable electricity to
be produced at the doorstep of the farmer so that the irrigation needs can be met  on a
sustainable basis and the farmer gains independence from grid power.

The REAP system comprises:

1. Submersible/surface pump
2. Solar array
3. Water tank
4. Other items including:
a. Controllers b. Sensors c. Electrical piping  etc

The main constituent of the system are submersible pump and solar panel array. The key
specification of these two elements are as follows:

Submersible Pump
a) Light weight stainless steel pump and body
b) Option for 0perating head from 15-90m
c) Discharge range from 500-4500 LPH
d) Brushless DC / specially designed AC motor.
e) Rated speed 500 to 3600rpm
f) Current range 5-15 amps.
g) Voltage requirement 30-300 volts
h) Cable 3mmx25mm2
i) Suitable for 100mm and above dia. Bore/tube wells

Solar Array
1. Monocrystalline/ Multicrystalline photovoltaic cells fitted in aluminum frame
2. Galvanized pipe structure for mounting solar array
3. Can be tilted in a suitable direction to optimize panel use.
4. Current output range 500-2000 watt from 15 to 100 volts
5. Operating temperature -40 to 85 deg c

A solar panel which can harness the energy of the sun forms the basis of bringing energy
to the doorstep of the farmer. This solar panel can be connected to the submersible pump which then helps to draw ground water and store it in an overhead tank. Pipes from the tank lead to the fields. The farmer can avail water as and when he needs it  the brightness of the sun will determine the amount of water that can be pumped. The beauty of the REAP system is that it takes care of the water scarcity problem that surfaces in summer. Since it is powered by solar energy  the stronger the sun the more the pumping capacity of the system.

The REAP systems use solar energy to pump water from a bore well during the day and offers an option to store water in an over head tank for use as and when required. It is an environmentally friendly technology. The salient features of the system are:
a. The system is useful to provide piped water supply in remote village where grid power is not consistently available.
b. The Solar powered submersible pump can be installed on a bore well.
c. The pump delivers water directly to an overhead tank for storage and distribution.
d. The submersible pump is operated on electricity generated by the solar array.
e. No batteries required for power storage
f. The stored water can be used as and when required in absence of power from the solar array.
g. No Operational cost and low maintenance cost.

REAP system provides clean green non-polluting energy which can be harnessed in everyday life and reduce dependencies on other fossil fuel generated energy.

The economic and social benefits accruing from REAP are:

• Reduces global warming and other greenhouse effects by reducing
energy needs which are met by burning fossil fuels
• The auto-cut off/sensory mechanism in the water tank reduce wastage
of water and hence saves depleting ground water resources
• Contributes towards energy and food security as well as reduce carbon
footprint in the long term
• Electricity subsidies to the Agricultural sector can be reduced and the
resources redeployed to develop other infrastructure
• Can meet water pumping and storage needs in agriculture  hospitals 
schools  hotels  restaurants  group housing societies  malls  etc
• Adoption of REAP can help to become a carbon neutral city

Advantages of the REAP system are:

1. No fuel costs
2. Long operating life
3. Highly reliable and durable
4. Easy to operate and maintain
5. Eco friendly

The present invention is described with reference to the figures and specific embodiments; this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various alternate embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that such alternative embodiments form part of the present invention.