Off Grid Water Grants Made Easy
RPS Solar Water Pump Systems have been approved for every one of the different federal or local American agricultural agency programs including NRCS, EQIP, FSA, SWEEPS and REAP. RPS can often help the applicant in navigating this process, alleviating workload on government partners. Our kits make solar pumping easier than ever, giving you the tools and know-how to do it yourself.
Find your local NRCS Office here.
RPS Project Partners include…
Arizona BLM ● Arizona Dept Fish and Game ● CA Dept Fish and Game ● Nevada Dept of Wildlife ● North Dakota Dept Fish and Game ● Tennessee Conservation Service ● Ute tribe Fish and Wildlife ● US Bureau of Reclamation ● Wyoming BLM ● USDA NRCS for EQUIP or FSA projects in 37 states and growing: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Americas #1 Most Popular Solar Well Pump
NRCS/USDA/EQIP/FSA/REAP
RPS designed a special line of “NRCS Ready” Solar Pumps” that adhere to every documented requirement. In addition to Standard RPS Solar Pump kit components + Turnkey (see catalog) the “NRCS-Ready” System contains:
✹UL 1703 Approved RPS Solar Panels & Documentation
✹Approved Solar Panel Mounts with Engineering Stamps for Hail/Wind Loads on Panels / Mounts
✹Well Casing Spacer / Torque Arrestor (Upon request by your local branch office)
✹External DC Cutoff
✹Approved in-line Fusing / Arrestor
✹Extended Warranties on Pump & Solar Panels
✹NSF Approved 3/4″ or 1’’ 160 psi black poly pipe (optional)
✹Three Strand Submersible Wire (optional)
✹Approved Well Seal and plumbing adapters
✹Bare Copper Grounding Wire, Clamp
✹Detailed Pump Curves & Documentation
Standard RPS Kits Include…
RPS Controllers
Multiple Sensor Inputs
Tank & Well Low sensors
Variable Frequency Control
Cycling Protection Timer
Exterior Shut-off Switch
RPS Solar Panels
UL1703 Certified
Per Intertek ETL
Nationally Recognized to Hail, Wind Requirements
IEC 612512 / IEC 61646
*Comply fully with NRCS
2 Year Comprehensive Warranty
30 Day Money-Back Guarantee
Engineering Phone/Text Support
Includes the BEST step-by-step installation manual you’re ever used. Seriously. You’ll want to frame it. 22+ pages of full color to arm you with knowledge and give you a reference on the basic wiring, plumbing and mounting required.
RPS Motors
Slow Start/Stop
Brushless Motor Tech.
Permanent Magnet Efficiency
Rated for Continuous Operation
RPS Pump Ends
Serviceable in the Field
Helical & Centrifugal Technology
Lifetime Rotor Warranty
Stainless Steel Body
Plumbing connectors
Controller mounting hardware
Low-water & tank shut-off sensors
Waterproof splice/heatshrink kit
Case Study #1: CA Department of Fish and Game
Our most recent project helped the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife develop grazing leases for 40-60 head of cattle. RPS provided our special government agency Procurement Service and sourced the 300 gallon stock tank, 8 gauge wire and drop pipe, ensuring that all required parts were purchased on a single, easy invoice. The system is use is a Pro2000D, a 2 HP deep well submersible pump, view more details here. Procurement Service is available in all 50 states! All system specs met NRCS requirements.
We wrapped up the solar pump install this week and everything could not have gone any smoother. The pump install was probably the most nerve-racking but it went really well. One of our guys fabricated a clamshell to hold the ends of the pipe on the top of the well casing, we then used a wench from our service truck to lower everything down one length of pipe at a time. Thanks so much for walking us through this and answering all our questions when we picked the system up.– Philip Clark, Fish Habitat Supervisor for CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
Case Study #2: NRCS Funded ANderson Farms Beef in Tennessee
Chuck Anderson of Anderson Farms Beef installed an RPS 400 and TPP all by himself to help fill stock tanks anywhere on the property. The entire project was funded through Tennessee NRCS! Chuck was so impressed by the solar pump operation, he’s went a step further and hosted a Solar Pump Farm Tour for NRCS Engineers and Tennessee Master Beef Program. More pumps are in the works for the area!
Update 2022: Chuck won a Tennessee Small Farmer of the Year Award for Best Management Practices to highlight his solar powered pump water system. Excerpt from article write up on the award…
“Chuck Anderson of Anderson Farms said the system works through 12-solar panels on a pump house at a natural spring. Anderson said it keeps the water line charged and pumps water across the farm to fill cattle waterers.”
“Some of the work that we do there is artificial breeding and that’s how we kinda got started on this water project,” Anderson said. “The key to artificial breeding is having good nutrition. We found by draining our ponds and providing a clean water source really helped our animals along.”
‘We have a lift pump that is in the ground at our spring,” Anderson said. “We lift the water up a hillside probably a rise of about 50 feet or so of a distance of 400 feet to a 1,000 gallon tank. At that point, we have a tankless pressure pump that charges approximately 6,800 feet of water line across the farm.”
“Anderson said once it was completed, the farm drained its two lakes, so the cattle would use the new water source. Anderson said the state reimbursed 75 percent of the project cost through a grant.”
I have only good things to say about RPS. The pumps were exactly what I needed. I left all the settings as “default” and it worked right out of the box. – Chuck Anderson, Anderson Farms Beef
Case Study #3: Micro Grant for Townline Farm
Townline Farm in Woodbridge, Connecticut received a $5,000 Micro Grant from American Farmland Trust for New England livestock producers that helped pay to drill a new well and pump. Running power to the farm was an expensive proposition, so Townline turned to a solar pump from RPS. They’re pumping with an RPS 800 out of the well into IBC tanks that gravity feed into drip lines for their garden and pumpkin patch, but plan on expanding the water distribution out to other applications around the farm.
Every experience with RPS was phenomenal. So far we’ve been thrilled. – Townline Farm, CT
Loved by Land-Owners, Agency Approved!
We’ve recently finished up a Taro plantation grant in Hawaii using an RPS surface pump to irrigate at 100 GPM, and before that, a mountain bike washing station on public lands.
RPS has a team of solar pump specialists on call to help with design and troubleshooting, whether you need a submersible pump, surface pump, deep well pump up to 1,100 feet of head, or up to 400 GPM. We can even power an existing AC pump up to 200 HP with solar, or supply auxiliary power for small appliances (great for field stations)!
Every NRCS solar pump project goes through our NRCS Sizing & Documentation Form and receives engineering diagrams, engineering stamps, pump curves, warranty information and more ahead of meeting with their local engineer.
RPS has a team of solar pump specialists on call to help with design and troubleshooting, whether the applicant needs a submersible pump, surface pump or deep well pump. RPS provides NRCS projects with technical assistance on solar array sizing, pump and motor sizing, wiring, solar panel mounting and will provide source materials.
Ask about our catalog for full system details, or call one of our on staff technicians at 888-637-4493.
America’s #1 Most Popular
“★★★★★” and 97%
RPS has become USA’s most trusted name in solar water pumping with pumps installed in all US states, we remain steadfast in our commitment to every customer and the humans, plants and animals our pumps serve.
Industry Leading
Lifetime Value, Water Assurance, Warranty Coverage, Dedicated Engineering Support
California SWEEPS Funding
RPS Matches All SWEEP GHG Emission Reduction Guidelines
RPS Solar Water Pump Systems have been approved for every one of the different federal or local American agricultural agency programs including NRCS-which SWEEP and the California Department of Water Resources uses as evaluation criteria for award money and project completion. RPS can often help the applicant in navigating this process, alleviating workload on grant writers, consultants and government partners.
Fuel Conversion
Converting a diesel pump over to a new 220V or 460V electric pump with solar is considered the best method to further reduce GHG emissions by SWEEP criteria and is eligible for funding.
Improved Energy Efficiency of Pumps and the Addition of Variable Frequency Drives
RPS will retrofit an existing electric pump with a VFD controller that can switch between solar power and backup AC power. Or, we’ll provide a brand new solar pump system that incorporates VFD control. We can even run pumps at lower frequencies for reduced flow.
Low Pressure System Design
SWEEP recommends low pressure micro-irrigation like drip lines, RPS has irrigation experts on staff who can easily incorporate irrigation pressure when sizing the solar pump and motor.
Reduced Pumping Operation Time
Pumping during the solar day will already limit operation time, but expect a flexible 8-10 hour window of sun in California. All RPS pumps are rated for continuous duty and won’t have any problem running 10 hours a day for an entire summer. Most producers already utilize zone irrigation for precision watering. Solar pumps operate similarly to any other pump system, the zones will control when the pump turns on or off.
Big Ag Pumps
7.5 to 200 HP
The BIG AG PUMPS are for titans of Agriculture. Like all of our other solar pumps, our BIG AG PUMPS have been specc’d to align with every one of the different federal or local American agricultural agency programs, including NRCS.
The BIG AG PUMPS are tailored for Big Guns, Wheel Lines, Center Pivots, and large irrigation systems with big water demands and pressure from high-volume Ag wells 6” and up. The same reliability and technology as our popular 5hp Pro Series is expanded up to 10 times with systems up to 200 Horsepower. 3-Phase 6” Motors and 6″ Pump Ends allow for up to 350 GPM at pressure and up to 375’ of head at that flow rate. Fr Custom Deep Well options and specialized pumps in the 100-200 HP, call RPS for more info!
All BIG AG PUMPS come pre-wired with breakers, surge protection, disconnect switches. Solar Arrays are sized with enough wattage to power your pump’s motor for 6+ hours per day in USA’s best solar states. With even more runtime during growing seasons in states like TX, AZ, NM and CA.
Big Ag Case Study: Center Pivot in Lousiana
We’re provided a conversion for a 40HP Center Pivot Submersible Turbine pump in Louisiana using an RPS Controller to irrigate 1,000 GPM at 30 PSI. At the heart is our fan cooled, VFD, AC/DC switching RPS Big Ag Pump Controller Box, seen below.
AC to Solar Pump Conversion
Paying $$$ for Diesel or Gas?
Any previously installed or acquired Three Phase Pump AC 220V or 460V pump can be converted to run on solar. We program RPS controllers in advance of your installation so it’s plug and play. All controllers are VFD, fan cooled, include breakers, surge protection and switching between solar and grid power for worry-free backup. We like to program these in advance of your installation so it’s plug and play for you. We ask for the spec sheet of the motor you have on your pump so we can keep that on file as well or the model so we can download it from the web.
Big Ag Pump Solar Panel Mounting
RPS carries Scalable Ground Mounting with an optional kit that adapts to mounting panels on top of a shipping container. RPS can also help source alternative mounting options to fit any project and soil type.