Design and Development of a Solar-Powered Smart Water Pumping System for Rural and Construction Applications in Cambodia

This research presents the design and development of a low-cost solar-powered smart water pumping system for rural and construction applications in Cambodia. The system integrates a 350 W photovoltaic panel, a 200 W DC submersible pump, an MPPT charge controller, and an ESP32-based control unit with ultrasonic water level sensing. The system was tested over a 30-day period under typical Cambodian solar conditions and achieved an average output of 8,640 liters per day. The automated control eliminated overflow and dry-run issues while reducing operational costs by 97.5% compared to diesel-based systems. The total system cost was approximately $358 USD, with an estimated payback period of 14–18 months. This study demonstrates that integrating renewable energy with embedded control systems provides a practical, scalable, and cost-effective solution for water supply in resource-constrained environments.