Solar Pumping Considerations and alternatives.
When struggling with utility outages that result in no water, many people conclude that they need to purchase a generator or perhaps install a solar well pump as a solution. This blog will look into the considerations that should be accounted for before installing solar equipment! For more information on similar topics, check out more of our blogs that discuss generators and other options to supply water in the event of an emergency! If your after very simple simple solutions for water during power outages, check out this recent blog on simple solar power and hand pumps that some of our clients use!
Solar Powered Well Pump Equipment
We have many people ask about installing a solar powered well pump. Here is a short list of the pro’s and con’s.
PRO’s
The power is off, no problem!
Utility Bills for pumping water are a thing of the past!
No cost for fuel or generator maintenance
CON’s
There are going to be some significant costs to installation of solar panels, installing solar pump controller(s) and changing the submersible pump. (Many standard submersible pumps will not work with direct solar power) These expenses can go into many thousands of dollars in equipment, permit and installation costs.
If it is cloudy or dark, you aren’t going to be pumping any water, unless you are going to go through even more expense to put in an off-grid solar system that includes a battery bank.
You need a suitable location to install the solar panels, and set aside time to clean them regularly (dirty panels don’t produce power).
If the panels are installed simply for the submersible pump, then you can’t use this power for the house or other needs, just the pump. If the water tanks are full on a bright sunny day, then the pump is off and you aren’t doing anything with the energy from the solar panels. Those panels with the potential to produce thousands of watts of power are sitting there idle doing nothing! This is a poor investment, it may be better to invest in a grid tied solar system with battery backup that can provide power for both the house and the well pump equipment than to just focus on the well pump equipment.
Equipment specific to solar pumping applications is a bit more costly than their standard utility powered brethren. This has to do with manufacturing and the economies of scale. Many, many more pumps that use standard utility power are made than are pumps designed to run from solar power. For now, that means paying a bit more for the specialized solar pump equipment.
After reviewing the list and seeing that solar powered pumps stations are probably not the answer, maybe you’re asking “I already have solar panels on my house, why can’t I just use those to power my well pump when the power is off?” Most houses with solar panels are grid tied solar systems. Grid tied solar systems supply power back to the electrical grid and use the grid as their battery bank to store power in when there is excess and then power is used from the grid when it is cloudy or nighttime. Grid tied solar systems do not have their own internal battery banks. When grid tied solar systems sense that the electrical grid is off, the grid tied solar inverter shuts off power to the grid and your home! It is actually a safety requirement for grid tied solar inverters to do this so that they don’t electrocute power utility workers! Grid tied systems can be upgraded to provide power in the event of a utility shut off with an AC coupling system like these from Outback Solar. Tesla makes some solutions for this as well. You’ll need to contact your solar installer to implement the upgrades necessary.
A small number of houses have what are called “Off Grid” Solar systems that have their own battery bank and inverters that are capable of supplying the house when connected to the grid or not. Off grid type solar systems are typically much more expensive, have large battery banks and require the user to monitor/regulate their power usage if they have no grid connection. One option for homeowners that have a grid tied solar system is to have their electrician or solar contractor reconfigure the system to an off grid system. Now, everything connected to this system will operate wether or not the utility is online. Converting a grid tied system to an off grid system can be expensive and may involve changing the inverter, adding an inverter and installing a battery bank. While expensive, this is not nearly as expensive as starting from scratch because you already have solar panels! Outback Solar has some great pre-packaged off-grid systems. If you can leap the cost hurtle, off grid solar systems can give heaps of benefits allowing you to use standard well pump equipment, utility bills are a thing of the past and generators along with fuel and maintenance are not a headache!
Backup power supply for well pump equipment
American innovators are at work, and have been for quite some time! A back up power supply connects to your main electrical panel and supplies power from a battery bank automatically when the power is off. There are no solar panels or power generation involved. This type of backup power supply can be connected to supply power just your pumping equipment or it can be installed to power your entire home in the event of a utility shut down. Keep in mind that these use battery banks and the size of the battery bank will determine what you can run and how long you can run it when the power is off.
Perhaps you have heard of the Tesla Powerwall. This is certainly one option, but they have lead times that are sometimes in excess of a year! Check out this review on youtube. Outback Solar has been doing solar and backup power for two decades and has plenty of experience and a great warranty. Check out this link for some of their great Emergency Power Backup systems. These pre-packaged plug and play systems are still quite expensive! An alternative, if you are handy and experienced with electrical installation, would be to use the Outback Radian FXR/VFXR inverters with a high quality battery bank.
Solar Pump Manufacturers
For those applications that would benifit from a solar pump installation, here are a few tidbits from our experience in the industry.
Franklin Pump Systems has some really great equipment at some of the best pricing in the market and it is built to last. Franklin Electric has been in the business of making submersible well pumps and motors longer than just about anyone! They are an American Company and their Photon Solar and SubDrive Solar Pump Systems are really top notch. OPS has installed several of these systems for customers that have pumps in remote locations where grid power is not available and the cost to run electricity is prohibitive. The Subdrive Solar equipment is able to connect to solar power, or a grid/generator to ensure that water flows regardless of the power source. Their solar pumping equipment is based on their normal line of pumps and 3 phase motors so pricing and availability are great. These pumps are easily serviced and last for many years.
Grundfos is a great company out of Denmark that has been producing water pumps for many years. The Grundfos SQ flex series of pumps is well known. These are great because you can just connect them to whatever power you have available, solar, wind, batteries or grid power and they will work! OPS has installed these pumps for several of our customers. In our experience this series of pumps seem to have shorter lifespan than standard well pumps. Based on our experience, they seem to last about half as long as a standard 4” submersible/pump and motor produced by manufacturers like Franklin, Goulds and even Grundfos. These pumps pack a lot of control electronics into the motor casing and the motor operates at very high speeds comparable to a standard 4” submersible well pump. This means that any failure in the control electronics, motor or shaft seals results in complete pump replacement as these items are not serviceable on the SQflex series of pumps.
Lorentz is a German company that has a focus and specialty in manufacturing solar & hybrid pumping solutions. Lorentz makes great quality equipment that seems to last industry averages, however, it is expensive and not as readily available as other manufacturers! OPS has worked with several customers to install custom solutions with Lorentz pump equipment.
As you contemplate a solution to provide water during power outages or to remote well sites in the Napa Valley region, remember that Oakville Pump Service has highly trained staff that can help you come up with an appropriate solution for your application and budget! Oakville Pump Service has been helping our customers ensure reliable and available water for our clients for over 35 years! Please call us at (707)944-2471 if we can help ensure your water needs are met.