Windmill Ranches

Water, at our ranch, is supplied by a windmill and flows into a 600 gal. tank.?

I want to set up a solar panel and 1/2 hp pump to move the water to another location. Vertical resistance is no problem. In what price range will the cost of the panel fall and what is the description, for purchase purpose, of the panel? Other than hp, any restrictions on the pump?

When you speak of “vertical resistance” it seems that you are speaking of the “head” of a pump. Any pump will have some indication of it’s “head” which is how many gallons per hour it will deliver at what height (the head) The higher you have to pump the less efficient will be the pump until it will not work at all. Some pumps are better than others.

If from a tank that is up in the air you are pumping down hill then “head” is not a problem but pressure might still be. Just as pressure decreases with height so also it will decrease with cumulative resistance in a long thin pipe. I once connected a 200′ length of hose to a fire hydrant and there was almost no pressure on the far end. For long runs you need to increase the diameter of the piping.

Regarding the panel/pump electrical system you first have to determine if you can get a DC pump or you need an inverter to change the DC of the panel into AC for most pumps. Then you need to check the electrical demand of the pump and size your panels accordingly.

Another alternative might be to use a solar parabolic reflector to power a stirling engine that would move a generator. This would give you AC directly.

3455 Windmill Ranch Road Weston FL 33331