When planning a solar water pumping system it is always a good idea to have someone available who has done this before. However, if your neighbor has one already and your wells and water requirements are very similar, it is possible to just duplicate theirs. Typically, solar water pumping systems are designed simply to bring water to the surface and dump it into a stock tank. This doesn’t lend itself to water for domestic household use because it is not pressurized and water is only pumped during daylight hours. For pressurized water systems where the home is powered by a renewable energy system, there will most likely be batteries and an inverter for household loads and we can just use that inverter to run a high efficiency AC pump wired and plumbed into the house as if it were a traditionally powered home.

How do you determine how much water you need to meet your specific water needs? Here are some general guidelines but they are only generalizations and your needs may vary.

Daily Water Requirements

Each person, for all purposes

......................................... 75 gal/day

Cow/calf pair

................................ 10 to 30 gal/day

Each horse, dry cow or beef animal

................................ 10 to 20 gal/day

Each milking cow

......................................... 35 gal/day

Each sheep

........................................... 2 gal/day

Each hog or 100 chickens

........................................... 4 gal/day

Types of Solar Pumps available and in common use:

Submersible Diaphragm Pumps.
Usually operates at 24 to 30 volts and limited to heads (maximum water lift) of 225 feet or less. These pumps require a pump controller to match solar array output to motor demands to avoid premature motor failure. Examples of this type of pump include Kyocera SD pumps, SunPumps SDS pumps, and ShurFlo 9300 series pumps.

Submersible Centrifugal Pumps.
Operate at higher voltages of 45 to 120 volts DC and higher. . These pumps require a pump controller to match solar array output to motor demands to avoid premature motor failure. If high volumes of water at moderate (50’ to 100’) lift are required, this is a good pump to use. Examples of this type of pump include Kyocera SC pumps, SunPumps SCS pumps, and some of the Grundfos SQ Flex pumps.