Empirical Analysis of the Performance of Solar Water Pumping Systems in Rural Communities in Kebbi State

Solar water pumping systems offer a sustainable alternative to diesel-powered pumps for rural water supply in North West Nigeria, where solar irradiance is high and diesel supply is unreliable and expensive. Despite increasing installations, systematic empirical performance data from operating systems in Nigerian rural settings remain limited. This study conducts an empirical performance analysis of 12 solar water pumping systems installed in rural communities across Kebbi State between 2019 and 2022 under the Federal Government's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme. System components including PV array, submersible pump, and water storage tank are characterised by on-site measurement of irradiance, PV output power, pump flow rate, and daily water volume delivered. Performance ratio, system efficiency, and specific energy consumption per cubic metre pumped are computed from one month of continuous monitoring data collected in both dry and wet seasons. Results indicate system efficiencies of 28 to 44 percent, with the lowest values associated with oversized PV arrays and undersized pump units indicating system mismatch. Average daily water delivery of 18 to 42 cubic metres per day meets community demand in 8 of 12 systems. Five systems show significant performance degradation from dust soiling or pump wear. Keywords: solar water pump, rural water supply, Kebbi State, system efficiency, performance analysis