How many solar panels are required to run 1 HP motor?
How many solar panels are required to run 1 HP motor?
Using solar power is an excellent option to reduce energy consumption from the grid. Based on the capacity of solar panels, we can run almost everything which we use to run on mains supply. So let’s come to the main topic, how many solar panels would be required to run a 1 HP (0.75 Kilowatt) submersible water pump?
First, let’s understand what is the total power consumption of 1 HP water motor or submersible water pump’s motor.
1 HP (Horse Power) = 746 Watts.
But, it is not enough! The motor uses more power to start, then settles to a given load. Because any electric motor draws considerably more (about 2-3 times) electricity to start the motor, later on, it shifts to its normal rated energy levels.
In electrical and technical term, such initial required load known as torque. In layman’s term, it is also known as moment, or turning effect. Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate.
So, clearly, 1 kilowatts solar panels wouldn’t be enough to run the 1 HP motor even under full sunshine, even when there is no other load connected to the solar system. So how much capacity do we need here?
You’ll need 2.2 Kilowatts for 1 HP motor.
You’ll need somewhere around or more than 2238 Watts (2.238 Kilowatts) to start the 1 HP water motor and then run it smoothly on solar. The motor will start with just 2x or 2.5x solar capacity, but under clear weather conditions.
We recommend up to twice-or-trice capacity of solar setup than motor’s rated requirement, like 2-3 HP (1.5-2.2 KW) solar system to run motor and few other loads while running 1 HP water motor.
If you can, buy the MPPT system over PWM, so you get the most from the solar energy. You’ll be able to use 97% of the installed solar panel’s capacity in MPPT, while just 70% with PWM.
Some modern hybrid inverter has an inbuilt solar charge controller. Do some own research there. For further installation and full solar system, get in touch with your nearest solar supplier or engineer. In India, Loom Solar, Luminous, Microtek, TATA all are well known vendors. In case you have any questions in your mind, leave it below in the comment section.
