Drinking Water Supply System using Solar Power

The main objective of the project was to provide affordable and sustainable power to the water supply systems in Las Delicias, El Salvador and Apatut, the Philippines. The best fit for our system was determined to be a photovoltaic cell system. The PV solar technology was implemented in both project sites and is expected to provide the energy for all the water pump needs, which include 7.5 hp (5.625 kW) in Apatut and 34 hp (25.5 kW) in Las Delicias. The current water supply system in Las Delicias consists of 75 hp (56.25 kW) pump system. It was determined that a re-design of the hydraulic system was necessary to reduce power requirements. The new design added a new holding tank and eliminated the need for a 60 hp booster pump, reducing the total pump power needs to 34 hp (25.5 kW). This design allows the villagers to receive continuous water. The total investment of this new design is $120,000 and yields a NPV of $413,000 (at 1.6% discount rate) and an IRR of 36%. The system in Apatut is a grass roots project. We worked with the initial design provided by the EWB-MAP team that is currently involved with the project. The total investment is $22,000 and yields a NPV of $78,000 (at 1.6% discount rate) and an IRR of 41%.