Solar Powered Water Pump



Garden landscaping, swimming pools, livestock watering or well pumping, solar water pumps can take on the task.





No wonder they're being used worldwide. Solar water pumps are simplicity itself, no inverters or expensive batteries required.



You can turn almost any pump into a solar powered water pump but - and this is a big but... pumps that are designed specifically to run on solar power are very energy efficient. That translates into, cost efficient, even though initially, they'll cost more. The more energy it takes to run your pump the more watts of solar panel you'll need in order to power it.

Conventional 110 volt AC model pumps are inefficient and require so much energy to start and run that they are mostly impractical to use with solar panels. If you are going to use an AC pump, buy the most efficient model available and keep this in mind. You'll require the addition of an inverter that can be quite a power hog by itself. You can't use DC power to run an AC pump. (The inverter changes the power to AC to make it compatible with the pump). That means you'll need more wattage to power the pump than if you use a solar power water pump.

While DC (12V) pumps are super economical when it comes to power use, they're not exactly over achievers in the flow rate department. (where an AC pump offers a gush, a DC pump makes do with flow) That doesn't mean they don't get the job done, they're just a little more relaxed about it.

One of the simplest ways of using solar energy, the solar powered water pump can be wired directly to a solar panel and produce only when the sun shines. Unlike lighting, pumps often don't need to work at night liberating them from the need for batteries, inverters and other expensive components.

In most cases your solar powered water pump can be as simple or as complex as you wish.




Matching the pump and hardware to the solar panels for optimum operation.



In order to make the best selection of the available solar pumps for larger operations you should know:



All of the above information will have an impact on your choice of solar powered water pump. As with any system, the simpler it is and the fewer components attached to it, the easier it will be to maintain and the lower will be the cost.

However, there are components that can, and in some cases should, be added to your pumping station to increase your energy production or otherwise enhance your system.


Batteries or no batteries?



Without a battery, solar powered pumps will work as long as the sun strikes the solar panel. When the sun shines brightly and is directly overhead the pump will work to it's optimum ability (given that the panel is sized correctly for the pump). If a cloud passes overhead and temporarily occludes the sun from the panel, the pump will either slow down or stop completely. Fortunately, for most solar powered water pump applications that's more than enough.

Aside from being expensive (often costing more than the rest of the system) and requiring more maintenance than any other component of your solar pumping station, routing the energy through batteries decreases the operating voltage which ultimately reduces the pump's flow rate.

Also, batteries like to be sheltered and function most favourably when maintained at certain temperature levels. Both freezing and high temperatures can cause irrepairable damage to a battery. And no matter how well you maintain most batteries they will have to be replaced every 5 years or so.



That said, batteries are the component that make solar a 24 hour operation. Solar lights would be a dismal failure without the addition of batteries. Without the storage capacity of batteries solar energy is only available during the day... and only on sunny days at that.

When using a solar power pump for critical operations or where seasonal fluctuations of sunlight hours will affect active pumping time, a battery backup or other source of energy should be considered to ensure necessary operations.




~ SOLAR FOR KIDS ~

Here's a fun experiment you can try using solar water pumps that do not have a battery backup.

Stand in between the solar panel and the sun (so your shadow falls on the solar panel) and watch how your shadow causes the pump to slow down, or even stop.





Non battery backup


Pumping water to elevated tanks (the higher the better) is a form of storing solar energy. One of the most efficient and reliable back up methods and simple to implement, storing water in elevated tanks gives you easy access to water using a gravity feed. Tanks should be capable of storing a 3 or more day water supply for periods when the sunlight is not adequate for pumping water.

Trackers


Solar panels function best when they face directly into the sunlight.

Trackers redirect solar panels to face the sun as it moves from East to West. More beneficial in larger scale operations, a tracker doesn't become an asset until the cost of the tracking system is less than adding more solar wattage ~ which will achieve the same thing (more power).

A tracking system can potentially increase your water production by 40% in the summer months; perfect for summertime livestock or crop watering needs. During winter, when the sun is shining less intensely and for shorter periods the tracker will provide a boost of less than 10%.


Controller and Float Switch


Rather than just running when the sun shines and not running when the sun doesn't shine, a solar pump under the influence of a controller gives you better... well...control and that can mean smoother performance from your pumps, low water cut-off features and less damage caused by lightning or running a pump dry. When the panels are not producing sufficient energy the controller prevents the pump from trying to operate.

Adding a float switch to a controller prevents tanks from over filling by switching energy flow off and on when the water level in the tank reaches certain levels.



Watch this video for an apt demonstration of a solar powered water pump when it's operational and relevant commentary that provides good information.





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