Aixa Anel Peralta Vera Universidad Tecnol  ogica del Per u, Av. Tacna y Arica 160, Arequipa 04000, Peru Herbert Jes  us del Carpio Beltr  an Universidad Tecnol  ogica del Per u, Av. Tacna y Arica 160, Arequipa 04000, Peru Juan Carlos Z  u ~ niga Torres Universidad Tecnol  ogica del Per u, Av. Tacna y Arica 160, Arequipa 04000, Peru Juan Jos  e Mil  on Guzm  an Universidad Tecnol  ogica del Per u, Av. Tacna y Arica 160, Arequipa 04000, Peru Sergio Leal Braga Pontif  ıcia Universidade Cat  olica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 38097, Brazil Experimental Study of a Photovoltaic Direct Current Water Pumping System for Irrigation in Rural-Isolated Region of Arequipa, Peru In the present experimental study, a photovoltaic (PV)-powered system in continuous cur- rent (4 kW) for the pumping of water in an isolated, rural agricultural zone in Arequipa— Peru was analyzed. A meteorological station was installed in the studied zone, measuring solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The electrical and hydraulic parameters of the solar-pumping system (i.e., electric current, voltage, mass flow, and hydraulic pressure) were measured in order to evaluate the efficiency of the energy transformation processes. The results indicate that, during the year of 2017, the PV pumping system in direct current (DC) functions from 07 h 30 min to 15 h 30 min, dur- ing an average of 8 h a day. The PV array, hydraulic, and global efficiencies were eval- uated. This allows for the interpretation of efficiency independent of solar irradiance. The efficiency of the PV array and global efficiency remained constant (11.5% f and 8.5%, respectively). The functioning interval of the PV array ranges from 880 W up to 3400 W, making evident the versatility of the system of generation and consumption in DC, which is able to function since solar irradiance is at least 200 W/m 2 , corresponding to 880 W of PV array power, 27 m of total dynamic head (TDH) and 2 kg/s of mass flow, and 70% hydraulic efficiency. With greater mass flows (6.3 kg/s), the PV array power was 3256 W with a hydraulic efficiency of 55%, a TDH of 30 m, and a peak solar irradi- ance of 1190 W/m 2 . When the whole system functions in DC, the efficiencies are superior to those of systems, which operate with DC/alternating current (AC) current inverters. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4042724] Keywords: photovoltaic pump, isolated communities, continuous current, pulse wave 1 Introduction Electrical power is an indispensable resource for any popula- tion, responsible for increasing the development of economic activities and improving the general quality of life [1]. The rural zones of Latin America have favorable geographic and climatic conditions for the generation of electric power from solar energy, using photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, the use of this renew- able source is currently not widespread in the region, mainly due to economic and cultural factors, such as unfamiliarity with the technology. For this reason, it is necessary to extend collective knowledge concerning photovoltaic technology in order to pro- mote its exploitation and benefit isolated communities, improving their life conditions. This study has been carried on in “Majes Tradici on,” a winery located in the Santa Rosa irrigation zone, part of Vi ~ nas del Ocho vineyards, located in Uraca—Castilla, Arequipa, Peru (16  13 0 35.30 00 S; 72  27 0 04.49 00 W). This vineyard extends over 12 ha of land, dedicated exclusively to the cultivation of different strains of grapevine as well as their distillation for the production of wine and pisco (grape spirit). The water for Majes Tradici  on winery comes from a natural water source originated in the Majes River, and located at a distance of 1500 m and 65 m below the main winery water reservoir. The vineyards are located in an orig- inally arid zone: water is transported to the vineyards through man-made channels, which is why they are considered an exten- sion of the agricultural zone of the region. Transporting water to the vineyards and the winery has proven to be a challenge for the company, and so is the low quality and high cost of electrical power. These two problems affect the grape production and the transformation processes for wine and Pisco making, but the latest generates a negative environmental impact, since the company uses petroleum-based fuels regularly for its production activities. The main goal of this research project is to conduct an experi- mental study of the generation of electrical power, using a photo- voltaic energy system in continuous current for water pumping. 2 Solar Pumping Systems in Isolated Communities Arequipa is one of the regions of Peru that receive the highest solar radiation and benefit from the greatest number of sunlight hours per year. This region has a great quantity of rural zones whose inhabitants specialize in textile, agricultural, and cattle- raising activities, mainly. Electricity, fuel, and water are necessary for the development of these zones, but currently most of them are not connected to the energy grid. The lack of electrical power forces these isolated rural zones to use petroleum-based fuels to generate electricity. One of the advantages of diesel-powered, water pumping systems is that the installation is simple. Nevertheless, the disadvantage arises with the frequent need for maintenance of the equipment, constant fuel consumption, indis- criminate use of nonrenewable resources, and environmental pol- lution caused by exhaust gases [2]. On the other hand, the dry nature of Arequipa’s climate constitutes a challenge for Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING:INCLUDING WIND ENERGY AND BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION. Manuscript received May 22, 2018; final manuscript received January 14, 2019; published online February 19, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Nieves Vela. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering AUGUST 2019, Vol. 141 / 041012-1 Copyright V C 2019 by ASME