Energy Environment and Economy
Energy, Environment and Sustainable Sciences | online ISSN 3069-0935
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Volume 4 Number 1 2026
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Design, PVsyst Simulation, and Field Validation of a 1500 W Solar-Powered Water Pumping System for Off-Grid Irrigation in Babylon, Iraq
Sarah Ahed Mohammed Al-Hasnawi 1*
Energy Environment and Economy 4 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/energy.4110869
Submitted: 31 May 2026 Revised: 28 July 2026 Accepted: 31 July 2026 Published: 03 August 2026
Abstract
Groundwater has quietly become the backbone of agriculture across much of southern Iraq, and nowhere is that more visible than in the Al-Shomali district of Babylon Governorate, where surface-water shortages and an unreliable national grid have pushed farmers toward diesel generators they can barely afford to run. This study set out to ask a fairly practical question: could a standalone photovoltaic water pumping system (PVWPS) actually replace that diesel dependency, not just on paper but in the field? A 1500 W system was designed to lift water against a Total Dynamic Head of 27.5 m and deliver roughly 25 m³ per day, sized first through classical hydraulic and electrical calculations and then modeled in PVsyst using site-specific meteorological inputs. A Perturb and Observe maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller was incorporated to keep the submersible pump running smoothly as irradiance shifted throughout the day. The system was then physically installed and monitored, and its measured output was compared against the simulated predictions. Performance held up reasonably well: an average Performance Ratio near 78%, an overall system efficiency of about 48%, and an estimated 1.8 tons of CO2 avoided annually relative to a comparable diesel pump. Where the simulation and field data diverged, dust accumulation on the panels appeared to be the main culprit, which is perhaps unsurprising given local conditions. Taken together, the results suggest that carefully sized PVWPS installations are a technically sound and reasonably economical option for off-grid agricultural pumping in similar arid, grid-poor regions, though longer-term monitoring across multiple seasons would help confirm how durable these gains really are.
Keywords: Photovoltaic Water Pumping; Off-Grid Irrigation; MPPT Control; PVsyst Simulation; Iraq Renewable Energy
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