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Solar pumps The Idea Solar pumps are a great idea, no running costs, runs all the time, does what you want all you need is a solar pump and solar cell?. Lets us look at that in more detail. No running costs Once set up, it is true most solar pumps do have no running costs. Runs all the time? Solar pumps require solar panels to run, all solar panels need bright sunshine to make electricity, so they will not work when its overcast, raining, snowing, cloudy, etc. So that rules out 9 months of a U.K. year. Of the 3 months left, at least one third will be night time. So it can not run all the time, You can use batteries for non bright times, but how will you charge them? Most charge via the same solar panel that runs the fountain, but wait, if the fountain is not running because there is not enough sun shine............ Does what you want? Will it pump from a water source to a storage tank, say 10 feet up? no. it wont, domestic solar pumps can at most only pump to a few centimetres at best, (see the solar pump test) The one we used to supply could make a fountain 50cm tall, but even so it still needs a big solar panel and a lot of sunshine. Oxygenating a pool in the summer? When the sun is shinning the fountain will put some oxygen in the water, a foaming nozzle would put even more oxygen into the water, sadly most solar pumps can not run a foaming nozzle. Solar Pump and cells A solar pump is really a small 12v pump, but in order to work it needs quite a lot of solar cells, together, these cells are called panels. If your 12v pump requires, say, 30 watts, it is going to need a 30 watt solar panel or bigger, and if you want to charge a battery, you are going to need multiple solar panels. We carried out a few checks most of the12 volt pumps use 50+ watts, and can only pump to around 3 feet with no nozzle. Solar panels are the expensive part, small 1w panels are around £10-20 each, now figure how much 30 watt panels are, yes, several hundred pounds each. (You may need more than one) Summary Domestic solar pumps are really only of use for small fountains and water features, nothing else. So how about a commercial set up?
We found the one above, it looks big, must be good. We do not have all the information yet, but the "lump" the panel is sitting on is a battery, so it will need more panels than just the one to charge it and run the pump, This is actually a 12v motor (The silver thing) connected to a mains motor (The blue thing) connected to a pump (the black thing) So its a good bet this is a prototype. This is also in a non U.K. country that has a lot more sunshine than the U.K. does. The above set up will work for quite some time, why? Because the battery is fully charged, so it will run the pump regardless of how much sunshine there is, as the battery runs down, that is when the solar panel will be needed, and the above panel looks too small to charge the battery and run the pump, which is another reason we think its a proto type. Solar pumps are no where near as good as a mains operated pump (They were never meant to be) Although having an electricity supply installed may seem expensive, it is a far better option in the long run within the U.K. Since in the U.K. its not uncommon for it to rain, be cloudy, windy, be grey, be dark, and combinations of these, oh and snow, all of which are no use for solar fountains and features We also received a comment regarding solar operated road signs and lights, which asked, "if it is possible to make road signs that use solar power why do we not recommend solar pumps? " The simple answer is we can, and do, but you would not want to pay the same high cost for a solar pump as a solar road sign costs. Solar operated road sign costs, £10,000 yes, that's is not a typing error, Ten thousand pounds, price taken from This article Now you try and tell us mains is not cheaper. |
