>How many solar panels do I need to run a 1Hp water pump??

A 1.1kW solar borehole water pump generally uses 1760 watts (1.8kW) of electricity during normal operation. Hence you will need 18 individual 100 watts of solar panels for running the solar borehole pump (18*100 = 1.8kW). For a more cost-effective setup, you will want to use fewer solar panels, and you can use 4 off 500-watt solar panels for the same application (4*500 = 2000W).

>How many solar panels does it take to run a borehole pump?

The number of solar panels required depends on the power required to run your solar borehole pump, taking into consideration the head and flow the pump is expected to produce. A useful rule of thumb when designing a solar pump system is to ensure the rated power consumption of your motor is exceeded by 60% when purchasing your photo voltaic (PV/Solar) panels.

>What are the advantages of solar borehole pumps?

The primary advantage of a solar borehole pump is the financial saving derived from using free renewable energy from the sun. This means you do not have to pay your electricity provider to run your water pump at all. It is important to consider the disadvantages of solar borehole pumps, which are that the initial capital costs of solar borehole pumps prices in South Africa can be high.

>How do you pump water from a borehole without electricity?

To pump water from a borehole without electricity requires that you have a mechanical system installed, such as a reliable hand pump, windmill or a donkey. Solar borehole pumps do use electricity, but it is free electricity from the sun.

>How deep can a solar pump pull water?

A solar pump can pull water from a depth of 10m, in theory. However, this is not practically achievable, given friction losses along the pipeline to the surface and other factors. A safe design is to limit pulling water to approximately 8m deep maximum. Any deeper than 8.5m and the solar pump will start cavitating, which will damage the pump and produce poor water flow.

>Can I run a water pump straight from a solar panel?

You can run your borehole solar water pump straight from a solar panel if your water pump can run on direct current and within the voltages which your solar panel produces. Normal AC water pumps, which are not designed for solar power, require the feeder voltage to be within a certain narrow band in order to perform correctly. Solar pumps, on the other hand, are designed to operate over a broad range of voltages, with advanced pumps using either AC or DC.

>What size inverter for a 1hp or 0.75kW pump?

As a general rule, size your inverter 60% greater than the rated power consumption of your electrical motor or device, such as solar water pumps for boreholes. For example, if your pump is rated at 1hp, a 1.6hp inverter is recommended.

>How to convert borehole pump to solar?

To convert a borehole pump to solar, five key components are required, namely solar panels, an inverter, a battery, additional cabling and, most of the time, a special borehole pump. A good quality solar borehole pump kit will contain these components. Make sure you shop around and know what you are buying, as solar borehole pump kit prices in South Africa vary considerably, as do the quality of solar components.

>How much water should a borehole produce per day?

A borehole should produce a sensible amount of water. Not too much as to waste, and not too little. The amount of water is limited to the borehole’s recharge rate. One must never pump more water from the groundwater reserves than is required or permitted. Boreholes with low recharge rates, and a low water table, can run dry and produce zero water flow per day.

>How much water can a borehole produce per day?

A strong borehole with a high phreatic surface, drilled into water-rich dolomites, can produce millions of litres of water each hour. The amount of water produced is limited by the borehole’s recharge rate as well as the type and efficiency of the pumping equipment installed.

>How much does a solar borehole pump setup cost?

Solar borehole pumps prices vary dramatically depending on the quality of the equipment purchased. A brand like LVTopSun is much cheaper than the Grundfos SQFlex range of solar borehole pumps, although they perform the same function in theory. However, European Solar borehole pumps will usually outperform and outlive most Chinese equivalents, all other factors being equal.