Solar panels for pumps are no different. Today, solar panel power is being used more than ever before for wells and other surface pump applications. There are several reasons why more of these systems are being installed than ever before.

Reasons to install a Solar Panel Pump

1. They require no external power source. These units are self-contained, with no external main power required. Besides hooking up a few wires, no additional installation is required. Furthermore, all of the solar panels come with industry standard MC4 connectors, which push together for quick and easy installation.

2. They can be installed in remote locations for a fraction of the cost. Complete solar power pump kits cost about $2,000 to $5,000 dollars depending on the performance required. The cost of hooking a similar performing pump in a remote location can cost more than $10,000 in installation costs alone.

3. Solar panel pumps have great power to performance ratios. DC motor technology has advanced to a point where it can rival AC pumps. These pumps feature brushless DC motors, maximum power point controllers and other features which improve electrical efficiency and pumping performance. A pump such as the RPS1.3-50 can be operated off 200 watts of solar power and will pump over 1500 gallons of water a day.

4. They are easy to install. Solar panel pumps can be installed in a single weekend. Instillation requires splicing a few wires, hooking up a few solar panel connections and the pump is up and running. Unlike main voltages, these pumps usually run at lower voltages, which have a much lower chance of shocking and harming you. Plus, if you make the pump and controller connections first, there are no exposed conductors when connecting the solar panels, eliminating the chance of electric shock altogether.

If you need any more reasons to install a solar well pump,checkout my other post, 10 Reasons to Install a Solar Powered Well Pump System Today! for even more reasons.

Types of Solar Panel Pumps

There are two main types of solar powered pumps, submersible and surface.

Submersible Pumps

Submersible pumps are designed to operate underwater and pump water up to the surface. These pumps are lower volume, but can deliver water at high pressure. These include deep well pumps and shallow lake pumps. An example of these pumps can be found on our site under solar well pumps. A submersible solar power pumps, can pump thousands of gallons of water a day, from hundreds of feet underground and are suitable for households, farms and for providing water to livestock in remote locations.

Surface Pumps

The other type of solar panel pumps are surface pumps. These pumps are usually designed to transfer a large volume of water to relatively low heights. They tend to transfer a large volume of water at once, versus the high pressure, lower volume for submersible pumps. These pumps are limited by the height they can draw water from. The theoretical maximum water draw height is 33 feet and these pumps will not be able to lift water past this height. These pumps are less common to be run off of solar power, as the desire is usually to run them on demand, which is not always possible with solar power.   However they still have their uses in crop irrigation and pumping surface water into storage tanks to gain elevation and achieve a pressurized system.

Reasons to Install a Solar Panel Pump

There are hundreds of reasons to install a solar panel pump. Below are just a few:

1. Pump water without the need for external power

No external power is required to run these pumps. Just hookup the solar panels and off they go. Now longer are you tied to the power grid and restricted on locations to install the pumps. You are now able to pump water miles from the nearest power outlet.

2. Never pay for electricity

Stop paying for electricity, now! After you pay the one time solar panel cost, you never have to pay to pump water again. The cost of solar panels have reduced dramatically over the last few years.

Check out a few of our low cost solar panels, Mono Crystalline Solar Panels.

As seen in the link above, high quality, low cost mono crystalline solar panels can be purchased for only a few dollars per watt. The payback period can be a short as 1-2 years.

3. Pump water when there is a blackout or emergency situation

Solar pumps provide security for you and your family. Currently most people rely on large corporations and the power grid to provide them with water. Solar panel pumps remove the dependency and provide a backup plan in case of emergencies. Water is one of the most important things needed to sustain life. Be self-sufficient and don’t allow someone else control over your survival.

4. Pump surface water into a storage tank

Pumping surface water into a storage tank is great way to store it and increase its usefulness. Water in a tank does not evaporate and can be used in piping and irrigation systems. A solar powered surface pump can transfer the water into just such a tank. If the tank is elevated, a pressurized system can be achieved, which opens up many more uses.

Solar Pump Prices

Prices have been coming down for the last several years. This is due to several reasons, the most significant being the cost of solar panels. Solar panels have been reducing in price and gaining in performance. Solar panels half the size of 7 years ago, now have the same performance.

For a complete high quality system, prices range from $1000 to $4000. The pumps run about $1200 to $2500 dollars.   Solar panels should cost less than $2 per watt. When solar panels are included the average cost of a complete system is $2500 dollars.

Most of our systems fall in this price range and can be seen here, solar well pumps. These pumps cover about 90% of the solar panel pump applications. These are complete systems and require everything needed to get them running. Just add an extension cable if needed and some piping, and you can be operating in less than a weekend.

Well what do you think? Why wait? Order and install your solar pump today!