SunEdison Builds Solar Water Pumps For India

November 20th, 2013 by Nicholas Brown

SunEdison, a world-leading provider of solar solutions based in the US, has designed and developed a PV solar-powered water pumping technology for irrigation. It has just been launched in India.

The technology comes in 3HP, 5HP, 7.5HP, and 10HP variants powered by highly efficient 3-phase AC electric motors. These pumps can actually increase irrigation reliability in India, as they power the pumps without the electricity grid, which provides electricity intermittently in India. The pumps also increase grid reliability by replacing grid-powered irrigation systems, reducing strain on the grid.

Crop yield may also be increased, resulting in greater food security.

Mr. Pashupathy Gopalan, President, SunEdison, Asia Pacific, GCC and South Africa, said that these pumps provide predictable irrigation. The sun is predictable. Clouds are of course a bit less predictable, but there is always some amount of sunlight available during the daytime hours, and these hours are known.

“SunEdison is committed to transforming lives through innovation. Our solar water pumps empower farmers to grow cash crops that require predictable irrigation and enables them to utilize land that they previously could not irrigate,” Gopalan said.

“SunEdison’s solar water pump solution addresses and enables a large and growing market,” said Ahmad Chatila, President and CEO of SunEdison. “It is a tremendous opportunity for us to grow our business and help people transform their lives.”

Water pumping is another effective use of solar power — with little to no energy storage, excess water can be stored in a tank which can drain it out whenever there are shortages due to either cloudy weather or water disruptions.

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